Black Sun

by Quick Fix

Rating: mature
Tags: Violence, Death, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Nightmare Moon, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Tragedy, Sunset Shimmer, Profanity, Adventure
Length: 151207

With their remaining foes coming together, the Elements of Harmony must lead a last campaign to bring their world back from the brink of darkness. With or without each other.

This story is a sequel to Where Gods Rest and the Sunset arc of The Quickverse Chronicles.

After several turbulent months of intrigue, adventure and dealing with ever present threats, life seems to be returning to normal for the Elements of Harmony. Despite gaining new allies, new partners and new hope, they know that the worst may be to come. Sunset Shimmer is still at large, an unknown factor who's true motives remain known only to her. To the south, the last traces of the ancient Alicorn race still linger, waiting for their chance to escape. Alone, either one would be the most dangerous foe Princess Twilight and her friends would ever face.

If they could come together, it would only take the smallest of changes to bring about the end of everything.

As a fragment of the past moves to reclaim its lost domain, the elements will need everything and everypony that stands with them to withstand the coming storm. The power of friendship may help for a time, but something more will be needed. Can such a burden be carried without sacrifice? Are the elements ready to defend Equestria once more despite their advancing age? Each is ready to stand against whatever darkness may come, but one question remains consistent in each of their hearts.

Is the day coming when the sun will rise over a land forever changed?

Welcome everyone, to the grand culmination of three years of writing. After many turns both good and ill, the Quickverse comes to its season finale of sorts. It's been a decently lengthy journey and I want to thank every single one of you who came on it. Even those that got on to look and got off at the next stop. New chapters will be released every Thursday and Sunday, so let's end on a high note!

Rated M for pony-on-pony conflict involving serious injury and death. Profanity is only for limited instances in chapters 16, 29 and (depending on your definitions) 37.

As the coming together of the Quickverse storyline, almost all of the other stories are not required but will be referenced and provide context. Naturally, this also means heavy spoilers for any you may not have read.

Cover art commissioned from DiscordTheGE
Proofreading by the ICBFF Deep Note

Published 2018-08-11 21:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2018-12-21 22:47:34 UTC

Chapter 2 - A Lost Soul

As the world reappeared around the five ponies and one dragon, Twilight quickly looked round to make sure they hadn't teleported into anypony's way. Luckily her aim had been spot on and they had arrived on a side street a block away from Canterlot Castle. With how busy the city was sure to be, it was better to not risk startling anypony or appearing in the path of a passing carriage. While the others took a moment to recover from the unfamiliar sensation of teleportation, Twilight and Spike moved toward the main road to see how things were at the castle.

While there wasn't much to see from where they were standing, it was still evident that things were just as bad as Celestia had implied. The Royal Guards were on alert at every entrance into the castle grounds and preventing anypony from entering, multiple units of pegasi patrolling the skies to provide total coverage. One of the walls of the throne room was visible from their position and even from here they could see scores of the stone and glass missing, carved out by errant beams of magic. Twilight's heart sank at the sight. She had been wrong. Whatever the situation was, it was even worse than she'd feared.

"Okay..." She said to nopony in particular as she turned back to the others. There were a lot of factors she had to weigh up in a situation like this but a general plan was starting to come together. "Fluttershy, if we-"

"I appreciate the concern, Twilight," Fluttershy interrupted, stepping forward. "But just because I'm a mother doesn't mean I can take this any less seriously. I'm staying, and I'll just trust you all to help if trouble comes."

Applejack nodded and patted Fluttershy's shoulder in support, while Twilight could only smile as a small weight was lifted from her shoulders. Perfectly predicting the concerns that were about to be voiced, they really did know each other so well.

"Alright. In that case, we should find the guard commander and see what's happened."

Despite the confidence that came with having a plan of action in her mind, Twilight couldn't quite keep the edge of concern out of her voice. The others nodded and set off quickly at a quick trot, heading for the main entrance to the royal grounds. The small crowd of ponies that had been gathered trying to find out what was going on quickly parted once they saw the group coming, whispering among themselves. A few scattered pieces were audible to Twilight as her ears twitched, wondering if any of it would be useful.

"How bad do you think it is if Princess Twilight's here?"

"Did you even hear what happened?"

"No, I heard something about Princess Luna being involved though, that she..."

Twilight kept moving like she hadn't heard. They were as in the dark as she was, that wasn't going to help right now. She simply made her way through to the gates and nodded to the guard standing at attention before them.

"What's going on?" She asked, her tone betraying the point that she would rather not wait to find out.

"I'm afraid I know as much as you, Princess," The guard replied, stepping aside. "The commander will be able to fill you in, she's waiting at the castle doors."

'She?' Twilight momentarily thought to herself before the gates were opened and the group stepped through. Nothing had been said about a change in leadership for the guards. It was all starting to paint a rather unpleasant mental image of what might be going on. The castle grounds were completely deserted, the stark contrast to the crowded gates adding another layer of unease to the groups' thoughts as they headed for the main doors. Seeing them guarded by another two units of guards did nothing to ease the atmosphere.

"I can't place my hoof on it but, something feels very wrong out here." Rarity commented, glancing around as if expected whatever their unknown threat was to swoop in on them right there.

"You sense it too?" Spike asked in surprise. Rarity looked forward again and met his gaze with confusion.

"Sense what?"

"There's a trail here," He told them, claws digging into the gravel pathway as his hands tensed slightly. "Picked it up right at the gates. Something, or someone, was practically seeping the scent of ammonia."

"Oh no..." Twilight said quietly, looking back as the others focused on her reaction. "The smell of dark magic. It just keeps getting worse."

"You don't think it might have been something to do with whatshername, Sunbow Shower?" Applejack asked after a moment.

"Sunset Shimmer," Pinkie piped up. "And I wouldn't. Sure she was a magically super-strong manipulative meanie, but she had good intent. Kinda whacko intent but still good."

Twilight just frowned and looked forward again. When they had some free time, she was going to have a long talk with both Pinkie and Rainbow Dash about such private information. Fortunately there wasn't time to stew over it as one of the guards at the door was trotting over to their position, a grey coated earth mare clad in the gold painted armour of the Princess' personal unit.

"Princess Twilight," She said as she saluted, speaking in a thick accent that suggested she hailed from the desert towns of the south-west. "Captain Iron Vixen, acting commander of the Royal Guard. I'm glad you all made it so quickly."

"We came as soon as we received Princess Celestia's message," Twilight replied, only slowing down long enough for Iron Vixen to fall into step next to her. "I was expecting to meet Captain Bomber though."

The guard only replied with a long inhale, the atmosphere around her instantly shifting from serious to uncomfortable. Even without words, it was clear why she was the one walking with them now.

"We're, sorry to hear that." Fluttershy said softly. Iron Vixen looked back at her and managed a small smile, motioning for everyone to head inside as the guards stepped aside for them.

"I wish I had time to be as well, but we're still trying to get a handle on things," She finally said as they entered the lobby, stepping past teams of guards and EDF soldiers that were dashing to different areas of the castle. One or two actually started toward her, though they backed off when they either recognised her or Twilight. "Chain of command is in chaos and trying to control a lockdown across the whole castle at the same time...Nopony expected something like this."

"So, mind telling us exactly what happened?" Applejack asked as they made their way up the central stairs and started toward the throne room.

"I only have scattered accounts so far but there is a general match," Iron Vixen replied, stopping for a moment as Spike needed to pause to let a team of guards rush past. "About thirty minutes ago, Sunset Shimmer appeared in front of the castle gates. She immediately surrendered herself in the face of overwhelming opposition from the Royal Guard and was escorted to the throne room under heavy armed guard, per Princess Celestia's order."

"Oh..." Pinkie commented quietly.

Twilight was similarly surprised by the news. Sunset Shimmer had been Equestria's most wanted for the past three years, keeping away from civilisation and ultimately trying to engineer the second rise of Starlight Glimmer before being undone by the combined efforts of Pinkie Pie, Apple Bloom and Peace Walker. While she hadn't been seen in the past six months, if she was still like she had been described then this didn't sound like something she'd do.

"I only have second-hoof reports from this point," Vixen continued, leading the group on. "Sunset was brought to the throne room where Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Colonel Cipher of the Equestria Defence Force were present. The meeting took place behind closed doors but...Midway through, Sunset Shimmer attacked Princess Luna with a magic unlike any we've seen before."

Everyone else gasped in shock at the news. Twilight immediately quickened her pace, the others moving to catch up. If what had actually occurred was anything like she was starting to piece together, then the real threat was closer than even she had feared.

"Is...Is the princess alive?" Fluttershy eventually asked nervously. As they entered the main hallway to the throne room the sight of a scorched wall from a stray magic blast made her outright whimper.

"As far as I know, yes," Iron Vixen replied, sounding somewhat shaken herself as if she'd expected to hear that question. "After the initial strike, Sunset's aggressions became suddenly more erratic before she teleported away from the scene. The throne room sustained significant damage and over a dozen guards were killed or seriously injured trying to contain the threat, Captain Bomber among them. Roughly the same number suffered lighter injuries. Every free unit of the EDF's Recon Corps has been dispatched to track her down and Task Force Harmony has been assigned to shadow her movements once her location is narrowed down."

"Rainbow..." Twilight said quietly to herself before stopping as they reached the doors to the throne room. She quickly focused in on the matter at hoof and turned to Iron Vixen. Rainbow had no idea what kind of danger she was headed toward. "Relay a message that the task force is to determine Sunset Shimmer's location but may not engage under ANY circumstances due to an unforeseen factor. We can't lose her, but we can't hope to bring her in yet."

As the guard nodded and dashed off, Twilight took a moment to steel herself for whatever may lie beyond the door. She knew in her heart though that whatever she tried, it likely wouldn't truly be enough to be ready. Every new threat they came across had a way of surprising her.

"Twilight..." Spike said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm alright, just..."

"I know, it's been a while since we've had to do this," He told her, smiling reassuringly. "We have each other though, that's enough to make sure we all get through this. Right?"

"Exactly," Rarity added. "No matter what, we've got your back darling."

Twilight nodded and took a quick breath before gripping the doors in her magic, pushing them open slowly. The sight beyond left all of them momentarily rooted in place, held by a mix of disbelief and shock. The throne room was as damaged as had been indicated, small pieces of rubble and broken glass scattered across the length of the floor. The pillars lining the path to the throne all had numerous chunks missing while a constant beam of magic had torn through the walls on both sides and across the ceiling, leaving the dozen stained glass windows shattered. The doors behind them seemed to be the only part of the room that had remained unscathed. The twin thrones at the far end of the room also seemed undamaged, though that was no comfort with the sight of the princesses upon them.

Princess Celestia was holding Princess Luna in her hooves, her mane still and her face wracked with a sadness that was barely masking the stress she was suffering from. Luna was in an even worse state, the slow rise and fall of her chest the only indication she was seemingly unconscious rather than dead. Her coat and mane had faded from their luxuriant deep blue to a faded gray-blue, her mane also hanging limp and lifeless. Somehow, the fact that neither alicorn had so much as a scratch on them only made the image much worse.

Twilight's heart momentarily stopped at the sight. Seeing both her beloved mentor that had been like a second mother for many years and the first pony she had been able to help on the path to becoming who she was...The mere thought had been the basis of more than a few nightmares over the years. Seeing it happen for real was almost more than she could take. The others seemed to be having similar reactions as no-one moved an inch for several long seconds. Spike was the first to summon up enough will to overcome his concern and move forward. The others followed quickly, Twilight flying over to cover the gap as quickly as she could.

"Princess..." She managed to say as she landed before the thrones. Celestia looked over to her and while she could manage a small look of relief, it was still just a drop in the ocean of her fears. A quiet whine drew both their attention down, in time to see Luna slowly raise her head and open her eyes. She looked beyond exhausted, like she had walked the length of the entire world without rest. Drained, but alive. Celestia finally allowing herself to smile slightly as she adjusted her position to let Luna be more comfortable.

"Wh...What in Equestria happened here?!" Rarity exclaimed as the others caught up, the closer look only adding to their looks of concern.

"It's..." Celestia started, hesitating as she looked from Twilight to her friends and back again. "Do they know?"

"No. I only discussed it with..." Twilight shook her head and looked back to the others. Ironically the one pony who would actually understand was the one that wasn't here. "Spike, can you explain everything we learned about the true alicorns to the others?"

"Of course." He replied, shaking off the trepidation that had been building within him and shifting into a more serious mode as he took the rest of the group off to one side and started going through everything he and Twilight had discovered about the alicorns and lekli.

"So, what has Sunset Shimmer done?" Twilight asked once she was sure it was just her and the two princesses again.

Celestia closed her eyes for a moment before her horn lit up with its golden aura. A small sealed case was brought up in her magic from behind the throne, the thin layer of magic shielding it fading as it was placed in front of Twilight. The younger princess took it in her hooves and cautiously opened it. The only item inside was a brass pendant, a white engraving of a horn with sparking magic etched into it and with a chain long enough that only an alicorn could comfortably wear it. To any other pony, it was little more than a trinket. Twilight's eyes widened in shock as she realised just what it was, Celestia's words when she had revealed the history of the alicorn race echoing in her mind.

"Pendants were made that the lekli could place on their target and use as focuses for the jump...Fortunately most have been destroyed since those days, only one is currently known to exist. One that was stolen from the castle two years ago, though the pony that took it hasn't been seen since."

"Sunset Shimmer was wearing this when she was brought in," Celestia continued, her voice breaking slightly as she closed and resealed the case. "I should have been more cautious but, I was just so happy to see her return...Tantabus saw an opening and managed to jump from Luna to Sunset. Sunset panicked as the lekli began forcing itself into her mind, causing all the damage you've seen before fleeing."

"So...Is there anything we can do?" Twilight asked, feeling tears start to build in her eyes. She couldn't even begin to fathom the pain Luna must have endured to her very soul during the jump. Without her lekli, without the other half of her being and unseen damage within her that could only be guessed at, she was almost certain to die.

"Do as I do," Luna's voice suddenly spoke up, shaky and weary but with an underlying determination as she raised her head more. "Don't, give up."

Luna slowly lifted herself up from resting against her sister and back into her own seat. Although it was clearly taking a tremendous effort from her just to get that far, the sheer strength of will she was displaying in the face of her darkest hour was enough the pierce the fears engulfing both Celestia and Twilight, sending a fresh spark of hope through them.

"I studied any spells I thought could be used in case this happened to one of us," Celestia said with a little more confidence, spreading a wing out for Luna to steady herself against until she could sit back properly. "As it is, I can apply some of my magic to keep Luna stable as long as we remain close. But it is not an effective solution. That will only allow us a few years at best, and if we were separated for too long...We need to find a way to return Tantabus to Luna's body."

Twilight looked down, under just how bad the situation was. Until, if, they could find a way to reverse this, Luna would be left effectively helpless and Celestia would be heavily burdened in her duties, as she would need to take on all those of her sister as well. It would likely be down to her and her friends to find a way to Sunset and stop Tantabus. On top of that, everything she had learned so far indicated that the unicorn hadn't intended for this to happen either, completely unaware of the pendant's true purpose. That meant that as well as figuring out how to extract Tantabus from her and return it to Luna, they had to do it in a way that didn't end up killing her in the process. It was likely that she would have to weave together a whole new spell just for this. It would be a tall order, more so since none of them were as young as they used to be on their adventures, but she was certain that their bond could still make up for any new shortcomings.

"Spike?" She asked, looking back to where the others were now watching and waiting.

"Everypony's caught up and ready to help." He told her, everypony else voicing their agreement.

"You can count on us, princesses. Just tell us where to start."

"We, have to wait," Luna told her, straightening up a little. Even if her current condition left her with little of her regal look it was still admirable how she was trying. "Once our, task force finds Sunset Shimmer's, hiding place we can make, a plan."

Twilight was about to ask how they were supposed to track a pony that could teleport when there was a sudden white flash behind her followed by a shocked shriek from Rarity. She spun round with her horn lit up to face whatever had happened, only to tense up at the sight before her. A pair of ponies had teleported in at the foot of the steps to the thrones, one carrying the other on their back. Both were clad in full body black armour with silver tinted visors, though at this point it was impossible to tell if that had been by design or if it was that way due to the scorch marks than ran down their bodies.

The one doing the carrying was a short unicorn stallion. Most of his features were obscured by the armour, aside from two telling features; a long silver tail and a pair of hazel eyes that were unfocused and shaking slightly, warning signs of a unicorn under the strain of magic depletion. The pony on top was more recognisable but in worse shape. She rested limply on the stallion's back, the armour along her own back completely destroyed to show singed sky blue fur, her tail reduced to a few inches of smouldering, multi-coloured hair. Her wings were the most shocking part of the whole sight though.

Rather, the charred stumps where Rainbow Dash's wings had been.

"Your highness..." The stallion said through his helmet, his words only increasing the dawning horror in Twilight as she recognised it as Aurora's voice. "...Mission failed."

Twilight covered the gap in an instant, catching her nephew just as his legs gave out from under him. Seeing both him and Rainbow in such a serious condition was almost enough to crush her spirit on the spot. But even through the shock she could feel the weight of command forcing her mind back into clarity again. First things first, she needed to get help for the ponies that could receive it now, utilising every resource she knew she had. Teleportation was unfortunately not an option, since forcing magic on Aurora in his state could prove disasterous. She looked back to where the rest of her friends had been standing and saw them rushing over, looking in similar states of shock. All except for Pinkie Pie, who stood rooted in place, seemingly overwhelmed by this development.

"Spike, get to the Institute and tell Chief Moondancer I need her, now!" Twilight told him, her voice terse but in control. "Applejack, Rarity, help me get them to the hospital! Fluttershy, stay with Pinkie Pie, comfort her as best you can."

Spike nodded and bolted from the throne room, throwing the doors open as he went. Applejack carefully shifted Rainbow off Aurora's back and onto her own while Twilight and Rarity moved to either side of the stricken stallion to help him stay upright. Fluttershy barely had time to move back to Pinkie before she wrapped her front hooves around the pegasus and buried her face in her chest, utterly distraught at seeing one of her closest friends in such a way. Twilight could only look back sadly before focusing on her need to reach Canterlot Central Hospital immediately, her thoughts mirroring those of the others as she lead the way out:

'What in Equestria happened out there?'

Chapter 4 - Solace

Canterlot Central Hospital
October 18th

The silence was unbearable, yet nopony knew what to say.

Twilight knew that it didn't matter which of her friends she was thinking about. All of them had been going through the past three days on autopilot, internally trying to process the shock. Seeing the state Rainbow Dash had been brought back in, knowing she had been in and out of surgery repeatedly ever since being admitted into hospital, barely conscious for more than a few hours at a time. On top of that, the way that Aurora had described the engagement in the mountains presented a worrying image of their latest foe. Even if Sunset Shimmer wasn't as magically adept as Princess Luna, Tantabus would know how to utilise her abilities to the fullest. They really were up against the second coming of Nightmare Moon, only this time she would be holding nothing back and have even less inhibitions about destroying anything she deemed a threat to her new order.

The only mercy so far was that the truth about what had happened had been kept contained for now. The few castle guards who had witnessed what had happened to Sunset and were still in any condition to talk had agreed to remain quiet and help prevent a panic breaking out among the general public. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the general atmosphere in Canterlot was still highly agitated. Keeping the fact a seriously injured Element of Harmony and the Prince of the Crystal Empire had both been admitted to the city's main hospital had ultimately proven impossible. Each time one of them had left the hospital, they had returned with worrying reports of how the situation was seen. Many ponies that had experienced the threats of twenty years ago had already voiced their concerns about another possible end of Equestria scenario.

The worst part was, Twilight couldn't help but silently agree with the possibility.

Right now though, her thoughts were focused on Rainbow again. It had been four hours since she'd gone in for what should be her final operation, assuming everything went well. Moondancer had assured her that by now the worst was over and in a sense that was true; Rainbow's condition had been moved away from life-threatening two days ago. Then again, this particular operation had never been openly performed before either. Even if Twilight had a better handle on her fears these days, the myriad ideas of what could go wrong were still running through her mind on top of all the plans and scenarios for how to handle this whole crisis.

She forced herself to look up from her hooves, needing to focus on something else, anything else. The hospital waiting room was too bland to work, blue-white walls and chairs against them. The rest of her friends were there at least, providing something solid to give her attention to. Applejack was pacing in front of the window to her left, her expression unreadable. Rarity sat leaned back in one of the padded chairs, fidgeting with her glasses and watching the clock over the door. Pinkie Pie was sat staring straight forward, still taking it worse than anypony. She hadn't said a word in days and looked set to break down again at a small breeze. It was bad enough that Apple Bloom had come along as well, sticking by her marefriend's side as best she could.

Fluttershy and Spike were the only ones not present, though it could be understood for both of them. Spike was in the Crystal Empire to relay news to Cadance and Shining Armor, as well as check up on Aurora after his magic had replenished and he had been allowed home. Fluttershy had said she would be there if she could but with such a young foal to look after, she couldn't reasonably expected to stay for long periods at a time. Both these facts were an extra weight on Twilight's mind, reminders both of how far the danger could reach and just how many lives would be on the line. She had to keep her focus on the now though, obsessing over the what-ifs would do more harm than good.

"How are you holding up?" She asked Apple Bloom. It came out a little louder than she had intended but anything to break the silence would do.

"Huh? What'd you mean?" The younger mare asked in surprise, the others looking over as the conversation drew each of them out of their own thoughts.

"You're not as used to these kind of things as the rest of us. It can be very testing for the unprepared."

"Ah have been around you since I was a filly," Bloom countered before sighing and moving the hoof she had around Pinkie's shoulders down a little. "But, it's actually tough. Knowing ah'm up against a god."

Twilight knew that she was taking it harder than she was letting on, seemingly unable to help the pony she loved. That was adding extra pressure to Applejack too, seeing her sister trying to handle something she was largely inexperienced in. Yet the pony who was taking it harder than anypony was still-

"I just, never expected it to happen. You know?"

Everypony paused round at Pinkie's voice. She still looked shaken and her voice was quiet but seemed to regain some of her composure in the blink of an eye. Apple Bloom hugged her a little tighter and softly nuzzled behind her ears in response.

"You mean, Rainbow Dash getting hurt so badly?" Rarity asked gently.

"I know it sounds silly but, Rainbow's thrown herself into so many dangerous situations and come out better than we could have hoped to: The Fortress of Talacon, the Abysmal Abyss, Somnambula, every major adventure we've all been on togher. I guess I thought she could handle anything the world could throw at her by now. It was a shock."

"I understand," Twilight said. "Even I was surprised she was alright after what happened at the temple of Chicomoztoc."

"Pffff!" Pinkie replied firmly, getting confused looks from everypony else. "Like any of them want to remember THAT episode."

"I don't have the foggiest idea what that means, but it's good to have ya back." Apple Bloom eventually commented.

"Thanks, Bloomie. Good to be back." Pinkie said as she snuggled into the hug more, brushing a hoof against the earth mare's neckerchief.

Although none of the others understood what that had been exactly about, it had definitely broken the ice. The tension in the waiting room steadily bled away as everypony managed to build up light conversation between themselves. Although the lingering concerns remained, nopony was actively worrying about them anymore. After roughly twenty minutes of this, the door to the wards opened and a light yellow unicorn mare stepped through. Twilight instantly fluttered over to her, her nerves flaring up again immediately.

"Moondancer. How did it go?" She asked. The others exchanged confused glances at the name. Moondancer was the head of Equestria's Institute of Development for all things technological, what was she doing involved in this?

"So far..." Moondancer exhaled slowly before lifting her goggles up, allowing herself a relieved smile. "Everything indicates the integration was a success. Rainbow Dash's vitals remained normal throughout the operation and she should be waking up soon."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. Applejack and Rarity quickly came over, voicing their elation while Pinkie bounced clean out of her chair and did a hoof pump in mid-air, completely back to her old self even faster than she had changed before.

"So, what exactly did you do?" Applejack asked once the sounds of approval had died down.

"We just built some new wings at CIT and fitted them in place of her lost ones." Moondancer replied, as if that explained everything. When nopony commented on that for several seconds, Twilight stepped forward to explain further.

"During my time-travelling conflict with Starlight Glimmer, I was told that the Rainbow Dash in one of those alternate timelines had a metal wing that functioned exactly like a real one. As terrible as things were there, the idea that they had managed to create prosthetic limbs that were capable of something as complex as flight stuck with me. After I founded the Canterlot Institute of Development thirteen years ago, one of the first areas of research I set them to was finding a way to recreate this technology."

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie all nodded in understanding. Apple Bloom looked halfway between quizzical and completely lost by all this, but she shook her head and motioned for them to continue.

"I like to think we went one better," Moondancer continued, sounding more excited at the prospect of getting to explain all this. Twilight hadn't heard this much enthusiasm in her voice since she'd mastered the Hayscartes technique. "Creating a false leg that was as mobile as a normal one wasn't a problem. Making one that wouldn't risk detaching and was capable of responding to its wearer's movements realistically, now THAT was a challenge."

"Oh! That explains all those signs when we visited the institute last year!" Pinkie exclaimed as she turned to Apple Bloom. "The disability studies and advanced bionics ones, you remember those, Bloomie?"

"Obviously not as well as you." Bloom replied with a small chuckle.

"You're exactly right though," Moondancer told them. "Once we switched from trying prosthetic limbs to bionic ones the breakthroughs really started coming. We've managed to develop successful prototypes to replace lost legs or wings for both mares and stallions, though horns are proving far more difficult. This is the first time we've actually attempted fitting one in a real world situation, but it went smoothly."

"So, how exactly does this bionic doohickey work?" Applejack asked. Twilight made a motion for her to stop talking, but Moondancer was talking before she could get it out.

"It's relatively straightforward. The general idea is that a set of synthetic conduits within the replacement limb are connected to surviving nerve endings at the damaged site. The electrical impulses that carry commands through nerves can travel through these conduits and also supply a small magic reserve inside the wing via the pony's latent magic. In essence it can receive the same commands as the normal limb and is naturally powered by the user's own body without any extra drain. The structure and metal 'skin' of the limb do have to be directly grafted to the damaged site and fixed in place with healing magic, something we'll need to work on. But between the streamlining of the mechanics that control movement and use of a lightweight aluminium for the skin layer the negative effects are hardly noticeable. Overall I'd say that for a first public model, these bionics will be quite effective, assuming everything goes smoothly of course."

By the time Moondancer had finished explaining, Pinkie was the only pony listening who still seemed to be fully following what was being said. Twilight blinked as she realised even she had zoned out slightly, caught out by just how much her old friend could get into her explanations of the science she worked on.

"Err, Moondancer? Maybe ease up on the technical talk when you tell all this to Rainbow. She'll have enough to process as it is."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Moondancer nodded and looked away sheepishly, adjusting her goggles with her magic.

"Right, well then, shall we go see how our friend is doing?" Rarity asked, getting everypony's attention back on point.

Twilight nodded and led the others through to the wards, Moondancer trotting alongside her. Before long they arrived at a recovery ward like many others in the hospital, half a dozen beds along each side wall, about a third of them occupied right now. Rainbow Dash's was easily located due to both the doctor checking notes at her bedside and the pair of ponies sitting at the foot of the bed. An elderly couple of pegasi, a stocky stallion with a rainbow mane and a frail looking sky blue mare. It didn't surprise anypony that Rainbow's parents had got in before any of them, even their advanced age couldn't blunt their relentless enthusiastic support of their daughter.

"Well, greetings everypony." Bow Hothoof said when he noticed the approaching group, bringing his hoof up in a quick salute.

"Mr. Hothoof, Mrs. Whistles," Twilight replied as she reached them. "Are you both alright?"

"O-of course!" Windy Whistles replied. As bad as the stammer was, it was more a symptom of her being in her sixties than anything else. "It'll t-take more than this to keep o-o-our Rainbow Dash down."

"You got that right honey," Bow added, placing a hoof on his wife's shoulder. "Our Dashie, most durable pegasus in Equestria. Am I right?"

"Right," Twilight said with a small smile, their determination bolstering her own resolve slightly. While the others joined in their support, she moved over the doctor, a silver coated and cobalt maned unicorn stallion. "If I may, is it as good as they're hoping?"

"Actually, yes," He told her as he lowed his clipboard, looking rather relaxed for the circumstances. "Despite this being a currently one-of-a-kind operation, Rainbow Dash came through it in perfectly good shape. We wont know the true extent of everything until she wakes up. With the timing of the sedatives we used, that should be any minute now."

Twilight nodded and looked down at her friend. Rainbow was laid on her front in the hospital bed, a blanket hiding the results of the operation for now. In contrast to the pained look she had been wearing the last time they had been this close, now she looked as settled as though she were merely having one of her cloud naps. If nothing else, that sight brought some extra comfort to the alicorn's mind. Her eyes wandered upward a little, only to stop as she noticed a fourth pony on the other side of the bed that had escaped her notice until now.

"Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked, noticing at the same time.

Scootaloo didn't reply with anything more than a slight snore. Her front hooves and head were rested on a beside table she was sat by, sound asleep as well. She actually looked in a worse state than Rainbow right now. Her mane unkempt, bags under her eyes and a bandage wrapped around the top of her front left leg.

"I'd let her be for now," The doctor told them. "Scootaloo has been here longer than anypony, never left Rainbow's side the whole time she's been in recovery. She even donated blood for the last operation after finding out they were a matching type."

"Oh my." Rarity commented quietly. Such a generous act, even for the other pony in a bond like Rainbow and Scootaloo's, understandably struck a chord with her.

As Pinkie opened her mouth to comment on something, a murmur from the bed drew everypony's attention. As they all watched, Rainbow began to stir, slowly lifting her head from the pillow. Her front hooves stretched out from under the blanket and a faint whirring noise became audible before the cover was pulled away by her wings stretching out. Even after the explanation they had received of what was coming, several of the group still gasped at the sight itself. Twilight's eyes widened slightly as she took in the results of a decades long project she had set in motion.

A pair of light grey wings were spread out from Rainbow's back, somewhat thicker and stiffer than the natural sky blue pair that had adorned her up until a few days day ago but still looking the part. Even as the stretch reached its full width it could be seen that each section that could be expected to move, every 'feather', did so in a surprisingly realistic way. The production effort that had gone into building the wings had been exceptionally high quality as well, with almost no rough patches and the noise coming from the mechanical components inside kept to a minimum. It was still too early to see how the ends of the wings were properly connected to Rainbow's body though, as her middle was still wrapped in bandages that hid the surgery.

Overall though, the bionic wings seemed similar in design to the ones she had seen in the alternate timeline. There was no way of telling if they were as effective yet, but if they were...Giving Rainbow her place in the skies back was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Ugghhh...Too comfy to be dead..." Rainbow groaned to herself as she slowly folded her wings back in and opened her eyes. She still looked exhausted, yet as she rolled her head to the side and her eyes met Twilight's, there was that familiar strength of will sparking within them. "T-Twilight? Where am I? What's...That whirry noise?"

"It's a long story," Twilight told her, shooting a knowing glance at Moondancer as she said it. "But right now, you're safe with friends and family."

"I am?" She asked quietly, looking to her other side and managing a small smile on seeing Scootaloo resting next to her.

"You are," Windy said as she moved up next to Twilight and gently stroked her daughter's mane. "I just k-knew my dashie w-would be alright."

"Glad I didn't let you down then," Rainbow commented as she looked up at her, smiling more. "Thanks, mom."

As Bow, Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack all moved up to let Rainbow know they were there for her as well, Twilight stepped away and moved back over to Apple Bloom and Moondancer. Although outwardly happy to see her friend recovering, the fact this had happened at all was starting to weigh heavy on her mind again. Between her knowledge of their foe and the sight before her, a set of fresh truths was starting to come to the surface.

Firstly, this was a challenge too big for just her and her friends to handle alone. Secondly, whatever kind of plan she came up with would need to come fast. Time she spent without knowing how to move forward was time Tantabus would likely be using to further her plans. Whatever they were

"So, this is where you've all been hiding. Excellent. I should have known you'd stick close to home."

Tantabus drily chuckled to herself as she took in the square opening in the ground before her. It made sense that the Tomb of the Gods would have remained in the south of the land. The dark magic that still permeated this jungle was a pleasant reminder of home. Her real home, not the kingdom of failures that Vaeac and Nezzari presided over. If they had simply seen sense a thousand years ago and let her handle the running of things, Equestria would already be the heart of a new alicorn empire. Instead of a land of worthless defects who squandered what little power they understood!

Such things could be easily fixed though. At least, they would be once she had done something about this 'Sunset Shimmer' she controlled. Even if her mind had magical potential worthy of a place of honour in the old order, her feeble body could never hope to unleash its full potential. At least, not in this 'unicorn' form. Now if the true power could be tapped into, utilised to give her an alicorn body again like Vaeac had done for that Twilight girl...She had to have learned how to do it from here, from one of their lost kin that roamed within the tomb beneath her feet. The kind of magic they could have created in tens of millennia was something she had long fathomed. The fact Tantabus had a physical body right now gave her a clear advantage as well. All she had to do was go in, find a lekli that knew the secret and give herself a body befitting the imminent ruler of the world again. Maybe then she'd wipe the tomb off the map, just to be safe.

A spark of magic leapt from her horn and onto the opening, landing on an invisible barrier across it. The barrier pulsed a solid shade of dark green for several moments before fading back into nothingness.

But...If it was safe to proceed it would have gone silver. Didn't it recognise her? Another spark of magic was fired onto the safeguard, only getting the same result.

"You're kidding...You're kidding, right?" Tantabus asked nopony in disbelief. There was no way it couldn't tell she was supposed to go in, even if she was using a defect's body. She fired a proper beam at the barrier, only to be met with the same result for a third time.

A snarl of frustration escaped her and she pooled her energy into her horn. If it didn't consider the signature of her magic enough, it would have to accept the strength. A full power beam ripped into the barrier and spluttered against it, her eyes narrowing as she watched for a reaction. After several seconds of sustained fire the barrier glowed a dark blue before dispelling a blinding flash. Tantabus barely covered her eyes in time, screaming in anger to the empty jungle around her. The multitude of failsafes that protected the tomb must have triggered, teleported the entire site away and out of her grasp. Again. Tracking down such a powerful magical aura wouldn't be an issue, but it was clear that it wasn't going to let such a weak body through as it was.

"Fine...Fine!" She eventually snapped, taking several breaths to calm herself again. "Maybe you won't accept me for now, but there are other ways to gain the strength I'll need...Once I have that, and I make sure I won't be opposed by the degenerates...Then I can have my fun."

Chapter 5 - Those Less Fortunate

October 19th

"Maybe ah should have said this earlier but, are you sure that this is a good idea?"

Pinkie Pie's pace slowed slightly. Both to let Apple Bloom catch up to her and to think about her words. For a moment she was extra thankful for the younger mare by her side, always balancing out her enthusiasm and impulsiveness with some common sense. She had a point though. They'd only been back inside Canterlot Central Hospital for six minutes and her plan for the day was already looking far worse than it had when she arrived. She didn't want to back out though, not when they were the best two ponies for the task.

"Weeelll..." She replied, spinning her hoof slightly as she tried to come up with the right response. "Honestly, there's never really a good time for news that even I can't put a good spin on."

The two of them went quiet again as they moved on, headed not for the ward where Rainbow Dash was resting up but the hospital's psychiatric wing. While checking in for visiting hours they had been informed that a pony that had been receiving support there for the past several months had asked to see them before she was discharged today. While it hadn't been said what it was about, the fact they only knew of one pony whom it might be meant they were likely about to become the bearers of more bad news.

"Still, maybe some familiar faces will be able to help her through it," Pinkie continued. "I mean, if anything happened to one of us, I'd rather we learnt about it from our friends than anypony else."

"Ah'd rather think that it'd never come t'that at all, you know?" Apple Bloom replied, shuddering slightly at the thought of anything happening to either of them that left the other alone. "Also, I kinda meant more that we might not be the best ponies to tell her anyhow. I saw enough to get the idea that she didn't exactly seem to...Approve of us."

"Oh that was just because she'd been brainwashed. Besides, a pony would need to have some pretty coco loco priorities to worry about who's kissing who at the moment, right? Especially with everything she's been focused on."

Although it hadn't been the gentlest way of putting it, Bloom had to admit that Pinkie had a point. The only looks she'd seen on Peace Walker's face during their time together had been limited to tiredness, distress or brainwashing induced submission. Even if she did have a problem with same-sex relations though, this was hardly going to be the time to bring it up.

Pinkie realised that she'd unwittingly unsettled her marefriend with the line of talk and steered the discussion onto more casual topics for the rest of the walk. Before long the duo reached the entrance area to the psych ward, a lounge space filled with relaxing features like plants, art and windows that allowed for views beyond Cantlot and into the farmlands of central Equestria. Roughly half a dozen doctors and patients were spread throughout the lounge in conversations of their own. Off at the edge of the area was a lone earth mare, leaning against a windowsill and silently observing the city below.

Pinkie and Bloom recognised her features instantly: A sapphire blue coat with a black peace symbol on her flanks. Saffron yellow eyes that stared relentlessly, carrying a firm focus yet betraying a sense of turmoil. Her platinum gray mane had been shorn even shorter since the last time they had seen her, now reduced to a buzz cut that barely came more than an inch from her head. She must have spotted the duo out of the corner of her eye as she looked over their way and trotted over quickly.

"Apple Bloom, Pinkie Pie. Good to see you again." The mare said once she reached them. Despite her friendliness, her tone and stance remained on edge, still showing the hints of her military training after all this time.

"Peace Walker," Apple Bloom replied, managing to smile at the sight of her former temporary cellmate. "You been alright?"

"Frankly, better than I thought I'd be," Peace admitted, relaxing herself slightly and managing a small smile. "After everything that happened in Starlight's compound, I thought I'd be in therapy for a good few years. This place is amazing at what they do though. I've got all the paperwork sorted and ready to be cleared as soon as I decide to go."

"You could always have asked to see us sooner," Pinkie interjected with a grin. "We'd have gone all out on helping you feel better. Right, Bloomie?"

"Of course, Pinball." Bloom chuckled. Peace eyed them both for a moment, a wary look flashing in her eyes before she shrugged it off. The look wasn't lost on either of them, but they decided not to draw attention to it either.

"Right, thanks," She replied simply before straightening up again. "Actually, I...I've been hearing a lot of rumors filtering through over the past few days. I want to see if somepony I trust has heard anything about it."

"Oh...I, think we will have." Pinkie replied, instantly growing uneasy as it looked more and more like their fears were confirmed. Peace stared at her for a few moments before nodding and walking back toward the window, the other two following her over.

"So, it's true then. Rainbow Dash suffered something serious enough to be hospitalized here," Peace said slowly, staring back out at Canterlot. Her tone was more conflicted now, as if she were both eager to know yet scared to find out. "So the question now is, was it to do with something related to the Elements of Harmony, or was she there because of a military matter?"

She knew already, she had to.

Both Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom remained silent for several long seconds as they internally debated who should be the ones to tell her the truth, or if they could even bring themselves to do so. Eventually Bloom discreetly indicated toward herself that she would be the one to do it. Not only had Peace trusted her enough to talk about her partner before, the idea that the Element of Laughter should have to tell anypony something so harrowing seemed outright twisted.

"Military," She said quietly, wincing at the way Peace tensed up on that word. "Rainbow was with her team at the time an'...Their mission went bad...Ah'm sorry but..."

"Oh my god. Bulwark..."

Peace's voice was even more hushed as she stared straight downward, body tensing up further. After a long, silent minute she closed her eyes and moved her hooves to rest atop each other. Neither of the others knew what to say to her. How were they supposed to comfort somepony who'd just come through so much only to be met with even worse? Their concerns were quickly compounded when they realised that she wasn't actually crying, or showing any kind of grief for that matter. She just stayed rooted in the same posture for a full thirty seconds before eventually moving her hooves back onto the windowsill.

"See you on the sacred isle..." She said, seemingly to herself before standing up again and turning to the other two ponies, a fresh focus in her eyes. Drive that masked a soul wracked with grief. "Thank you, for making sure I knew. Do they know who did it?"

"We do. But it's something that's waaaay out of even our depth." Pinkie told her simply, her expression even matching her tone for how serious this was. The last thing she wanted was for another pony to get hurt trying to engage a danger they didn't understand.

"I see," Peace exhaled slowly, seemingly decided on a course of action inside her head. "Well then...Thank you. I'll let you get on with your day while I get cleared to go home. If you happen to find-"

"Excuse me. Mrs Walker?"

Peace jumped slightly, so caught up in the discussion that she hadn't heard the pony approaching her. A blue-gray unicorn stallion with a trimmed white mane and a doctor's coat. Pinkie and Bloom stepped aside on seeing him, figuring from the look on his face that what he needed to discuss with her was highly important.

"Oh, Soul Searcher. What's wrong?" Peace said in greeting as she turned to face him, looking surprisingly optimistic.

"Well, I know you don't like me mincing my words so. Something's come up," He told her, rubbing his leg slightly. "And I'm still not sure exactly how to tell you..."

"Is this about Bulwark?" She replied, waiting for his surprised acknowledgement, meeting his gaze with a neutral look of her own. "I know. I think I knew the moment the rumors about Rainbow Dash started. I know I look like I'm putting on a brave front here but this doesn't-"

"And that brings me on to the second difficult point. After a loss like this, coupled with everything you've been through...We've decided it would be best for you to remain with us for the time being. Just until we can help you work through your feelings on the matter."

Peace stared at him as if he'd suggested they overthrow Princess Celestia. Then her expression shifted to one of desperation, strong enough to make Pinkie and Apple Bloom back off slightly.

"W-what? Bu...You...No, n-nonononono." She stammered, leaning in to talk in a hushed whisper, her hoof planted on his shoulder in a death grip. "You can't expect me to stay. Months of that same ward, all the working through my 'anger' was enough. That's before you even get to the important thing here. My husband. He. Was. Murdered. I don't expect you to understand, I mean we never had to talk about your family, but you can't just keep me here without letting me so much as find out the name of whoever did it!"

"Which is precisely why we think it's best you remain here," Soul countered, bringing his hoof up and using it to steadily relax her hold. "Letting you go without helping you work through your grief would run against everything the two of us have worked toward these past seven months and it would possibly see you just get hurt. Or worse."

"He's right," Pinkie interjected. "We'll find out everything you want us to, but it's not worth doing anything I would do."

"Not everypony's lucky enough to be basically indestructible," Apple Bloom added. "Even earth pony durability wouldn't count for much."

Peace stared at them for several seconds, clearly wanting to object to all of them for suggesting holding her back. For a brief moment there with a glint of anger in her eyes and everypony wondered if she was going to get aggressive. Then it was gone and she sighed in frustration, shaking her head as she brought her hoof down and scuffed it against the floor.

"Fine. Fine," She huffed, looking away. "I'll talk it out a bit, but the second Princess Twilight decides to make a move against whoever did this, I want to know. I want to see who took my Bulwark from me before they pay for it."

Before anypony could respond she turned and walked back into the psych ward, her tail constantly flicking out about at anything that she came too close to. Soul Searcher remained in place, glancing over to Pinkie and Bloom. He thought better of commenting though and offered the two of them a silent apology. With that he followed Peace through the ward doors, leaving the pair alone again.

"So," Apple Bloom said as she stared at the doors for a moment. "Ah'm thinking we oughta tell Twilight about this. If she can't talk Peace into waiting, she'll know who can."

"Good thinking Bloomie," Pinkie replied. "Speaking of, we better get moving if we wanna see Rainbow today."

With the matter settled the two of them made their onward to the recovery wards, doing their best to talk casually as they went. The prior discussion remained at the back of their minds the whole way though, a nagging reminder that this wasn't going to be like facing Discord or Starlight Glimmer, where everything would just go back to normal once they'd defeated the latest round of evil. Seeing Rainbow Dash's wings would be a permanent reminder among the group but already there were families irreparably changed by what they had lost. If they could find a way to do this without anypony else having to suffer, that would be a success.

Before long they reached the waiting room to be greeted by the sight of their group of friends there already. Rainbow Dash was sat the wrong way round on one of the chairs, still bandaged around her middle but up and active. She was showing off her wings to Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle while talking to Twilight. Applejack, Rarity and Scootaloo were watching off to the side, talking among themselves for now. The general atmosphere was a lot more relaxed than it had been yesterday, likely helped by the fact Rainbow was capable of moving about by herself. Rarity was the first to notice the new arrivals, perking up and drawing the attention of the others.

"Pinkie Pie, Apple Bloom. So glad you could both make it." She said as they came over, waving eagerly in greeting. Pinkie practically skipped at the sight.

"Sorry, we ran into an old friend on our way up," Pinkie told them, the sight of her back to normal enough to ease everypony's spirit's further. "How's our number one patient doing?"

"You have nooo idea," Rainbow replied happily, flexing her wings further and grinning at the faint whirring of the systems inside. "I mean I still wont be able to fly for another week at best, but going from where I was a few days ago to the idea having my flight back like this...I can't really put it into words, and you know how hard that is for me."

"As great as it is to see you back on your hooves, Rainbow, we shouldn't forget that you were the lucky one." Twilight commented solemnly, a few of the others faces falling at those words.

"I think she knows that better than anypony." Sweetie Belle piped up, running a hoof along one of the metal 'feathers'.

"Yes, that was poorly worded," Twilight looked down as she thought over what she meant to say for a few moments. "I didn't mean to remind you of the others, but what I meant was that everypony in Equestria will soon be feeling what happened. I spoke to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna earlier and things aren't getting any better. Celestia has had to take over all of her sister's duties, including her half of the royal court and command of the Equestria Defence Force, on top of having to regularly channel her magic just to keep Luna alive. As skilled as she is, even I could see she can't keep it going forever."

"So, what exactly are ya proposing we do?" Applejack asked.

"What we always do: Kick some tail and save Equestria!" Rainbow answered, getting up and flaring her wings out to their full width. The dramatic moment was negated somewhat as she winced from the motion and rubbed the bandages where her right wing connected to what was left of her organic wing.

"If only it were that easy," Twilight told her, starting to pace around the room slightly. "None of us are as young as we used to be and it'd be foolish to assume we can just spring into action as though nothing has changed in the past few decades. Between that and the scale of just what we're facing...I think it might be a good idea if we had some help, from ponies that we know and trust to have our backs when we need them most."

The others looked between themselves, thinking about what had been said. It was true that none of them would be capable of being the heroes Equestria needed forever. It was almost starting to become questionable if they were capable of it now. New ponies would soon have to take up the mantle of protection and while the bulk of it was handled by the defence force these days, there would always need to be ponies like the Elements of Harmony. The biggest question now was who would be willing to step up to such a significant role, full well knowing the risks.

"Ah'm in." Apple Bloom said without hesitation as she stepped forward, conviction in her voice and determination in her eyes.

"Sis, are ya sure?" Applejack asked warily, understandably concerned about such a proposition.

"This ain't the first time I've been in a situation like this. An' it just wouldn't feel right to sit by and do nothing if I can help y'all somehow."

Applejack thought about it for a moment and nodded, conceding the point. Pinkie looked over at Bloom and smiled softly at the thought of the two of them on another adventure. This time, able to watch each other's backs.

"Then I'm in too," Scootaloo chimed in, stepping up to join the others. "Even if it's just to fill the awesome flier role until Rainbow Dash is ready to go again."

"I like the attitude kid, but don't get carried away. I told you full well what you'd be up against," Rainbow told her, trying to fight back a grin. "Just keep being you and you'll be more help than you know."

"Well, if they're both stepping up, I'm going to have to as well," Sweetie Belle said, resigned but in a good natured way. "They're gonna need me to pull their tails out of trouble like always."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both chuckled at their fellow crusader's comment and everypony else couldn't help but smile at the sight. Those three shared a bond every bit as strong as the elements, perfect for such a significant duty. Before long though, they would all have to think about who else they might share such a bond with. Those both capable and willing to stand up and fight when the time came.

Chapter 6 - Friends and Allies

As she made her way back out onto the streets of Canterlot's central district, Applejack looked up and took a long breath of fresh air. The atmosphere inside the hospital was too clammy for her liking and out here the air had a reinvigorating edge to it that only came with the mid-autumn chill. While most ponies preferred to stay out of the cold, it helped keep her sharp and focused, both invaluable assets to have during the harvest period. This year though, she would have to trust Big Mac to take over the reins and finish things up while she focused on the element's latest adventure. First things first, she had to see if there were any ponies who she thought might fit the qualifications to help save Equestria. By the time she had reached the edge of the block there were already two that had come to mind.

The first was Bounty. Definitely one of the most unique unicorns she knew, even before getting to the whole 'magic created clone' thing. He had spent several weeks staying in Canterlot castle since the start of the year though, learning about and coming to terms with just what he was from Princess Celestia. Since returning to Ponyville he preferred not to talk about it, but there was no denying his mentality had stabilised as a result. Now he was perfectly level headed, just what was needed for something like this. There was also the fact that he was a copy of Shining Armor, one of the most magically gifted unicorns alive. Applejack had personally seen his telekinesis was stronger than average and if his ability to siphon his magic strength into another unicorn was half as powerful as Shining's shield magic, then his help could be invaluable. Convincing him might be harder but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

As for the second...

"Applejack?"

That was his voice. That smooth, Marebourne accented voice that made her heart soar slightly as she heard it for the first time in many months. Applejack looked up toward where it had come from and quickly spotted him among the pegasi moving through the cloudy skies. That lush green coat, the vibrant gold mane, sky blue eyes she could probably find peace by looking into. No mistake about it.

"Deep Note!" Applejack waved him down, stepping back slightly for to give him space to land in front of her. As soon as he had his hooves on the ground and wings tucked in the two of them shared a quick hug. It was hardly enough for her after so long apart, but the last thing either of them needed was rumours starting if they dragged it out.

"You've no idea how good it feels to see you again." Deep said as they let the hug end, stepping over to her side so they didn't get in anypony's way.

"Same to you partner. What're you doing here though?"

"You mean aside from having a performance in Canterlot?" He chuckled slightly before his relaxed expression slipped into something more serious. "I heard things at the hotel I'm staying at last night. That you were all in the city as well and that Rainbow Dash was in some kind of trouble."

"So you wanted to check I was alright?"

"Well, y-yeah," He blushed ever so slightly before shaking it off. "There is a bit more to it than that though. I may have only been a colt during the last time something gave you or your friends trouble, but I know if it can do that to one of you then it's something big. World threatening big."

Applejack frowned slightly but nodded. There wasn't much point in denying what Deep already knew. Heck, half of Equestria probably knew at least some morsel of the truth by now.

"Yer right," She admitted. "But it ain't nothing we can't handle. Twilight'll come up with a plan like always and we'll have saved Equestria before anypony realises what's wrong."

"I see..."

Deep looked thoughtful as he glanced around to make sure nopony was listening in on their discussion. There was nothing to worry about though. Between the cold in the air and the steadily increasing likelihood of rain, very few ponies were out on the streets right now.

"I want to help," He told her, straightening up slightly. "I don't mind how, but knowing that something's happening...I can't just stand by and do nothing while you're out risking yourselves for everypony's sake."

Applejack smiled slightly. She'd never understood how fate always seemed to help her and her friends out when they most needed a boost, but at the same time she was never reluctant to accept its gifts. In this case, saving herself hours, possibly days, trying to find Deep. Getting to spend more time with him was always a plus too.

"Walk with me, Deep. We've got a lot to talk about."

Scootaloo smiled to herself as she dropped her altitude slightly, watching as the cloud cover beneath her started to break up up. Six and a half months ago she'd sat upon clouds like those, somewhere in this very area, recovering from her first ever solo flight. Back then it had been exhilarating, but also tiring, disorientating and perhaps a little embarrassing for a twenty-seven year old to be struggling like that. After months of coaching from Rainbow Dash and private practice though, she could make the flight between Canterlot and Ponyville with only minor difficulty. Like any other pegasi. That was the part that made her smile slightly more.

Of course, finally learning to fly hadn't all come easy for her. A permanent reminder of that fact sat just above her left eye, ever so slightly obscuring her vision and remaining sensitive to the stronger gusts of wind up here. She wouldn't have changed it for anything though, if not for the fact that it fulfilled a lifelong dream, then for helping her make a close friend and reinforcing her existing ones in the process. A master of illusion magic and a repairpony who'd started dabbling in medical knowledge, they sounded perfect for helping Twilight out. If they agreed of course. Still, she had had time to come up with ways she might persuade them during her flight. Or, failing that, other ways they might help.

As the clouds spread out further and Ponyville came into view, Scootaloo dropped altitude further to begin her approach. She slowly went through a roll to entertain herself as she passed through the clouds before realigning and studying the town. Rainbow Dash had taught her the importance of total awareness of what was happening on the ground and in the sky while flying right from the start, picking out anything of importance. She couldn't say she was good at it yet but her eyes were still sharp enough to identify a pony from several hundred feet up in the air. One of the perks of being a pegasus. As she reached Ponyville itself she spread her wings fully and went into a glide high over the market district, scanning the streets. After a minute she spotted the pony she was after, an azure unicorn mare headed toward the north end of town. She dropped down and landed a short ways behind her before quickly trotting up.

"She didn't get a chance to say it but, Rainbow enjoyed the aerial course." Scootaloo said, chuckling as the unicorn jumped slightly and span round. They relaxed instantly on seeing just who it was though.

"Ah. Glad to hear it," Trixie replied as she put a hoof out, Scootaloo moving into it as the two shared a quick greeting hug. "So, is she doing okay? Ponies are saying that something terrible happened in Canterlot. Some even think she was crippled!"

"Maybe briefly, but it takes more than that to keep Rainbow Dash down. Some bed rest, a quick blood refill and she's back on her hooves already." Scootaloo reassured her. Trixie nodded, smiling in relief at the news.

"Good. She deserves better than that. What about you though? With how close you are, that couldn't have been easy to see."

"Oh I'm fine. Who'd you think donated the blood for her?"

Trixie glanced down at Scootaloo's leg before nodding knowingly. Scootaloo grinned and motioned for them to walk and talk as they started to make their way through the Ponyville streets, filling each other in on what had been happening over the last few days. With everything that had been going on in their personal lives, Trixie taking her skills on tour and Scootaloo in training, it felt like forever since they had been able to do something as simple as this. Just two friends hanging out together without any bigger problems to weigh them down. They both knew it was a mere reprieve from what needed to be said though and before long Scootaloo hesitated in the discussion, knowing she had to get back on topic.

"So, there's something I wanted to ask you. It's a little personal but from what I heard, it's actually related to what happened with Rainbow." She said, waiting for Trixie to stop and eye her up. Thankfully her expression was more confusion than refusal.

"O...Kay. I'll try to answer but, stop me if I start to get carried away. I've needed Princess Luna to bail me out more than once." Trixie replied warily. Scootaloo suddenly felt a little bad for what she was going to say, but she had a strong suspicion that it would be a huge help in combating Tantabus. A small part of her mind briefly wondered why Rainbow had called her that instead of Nightmare Moon, but it was quickly subdued and put toward getting the question out.

"What was it like when you were wearing the Alicorn Amulet?"

Trixie's expression was unreadable as she closed her eyes, brow furrowing slightly. She simply stood there for a full minute, her slow breaths the only movement she made. Scootaloo stood there, now worried she'd carelessly stirred up some of her friend's worst memories. Eventually the unicorn opened her eyes again, a wistful stare behind them as she looked around at Ponyville.

"Have you ever heard a voice in your head, Scootaloo?" She asked, watching as her friend shook her head before continuing. "At first the amulet seemed like just that, a whisper hinting at the power it was using, that it claimed I had inside me all along. Then it started getting louder. Every time I used my magic to hurt or humiliate, it just got louder and more commanding. By the time I'd beaten Twilight in our magic duel it was a roar, drowning out all my own thoughts, using me to keep feeding its own desires for control. A-all I'd wanted to do was claim an insignificant victory, show that Twilight wasn't the best at everything. The amulet added the wager for leaving Ponyville and everything that came afterward. I kept trying to resist but, it screamed inside my head until I stopped. Even after I got the amulet off I could hear the voice within me, struggling to the last..."

Trixie scrunched her eyes shut and bit her quivering lip, too shaken up to continue. If it still affected her this badly on her own, the thought of what she'd be going through if others blamed her too were too much for the pegasus to bear.

"It's ok, Trixie. I've already forgiven you, Ponyville has too." Scootaloo told her gently, placing a hoof on her shoulder. Trixie looked down and sighed slightly before placing her own hoof on her friend's and nodding.

"I know, I know. But, why did you want to know now?"

"Long story short, Twilight believes that whatever attacked Rainbow Dash is going through something similar," Scootaloo explained. It wasn't entirely untrue, but at the same time it wasn't her place to openly reveal what was going on if Trixie didn't want to help. "She also said that she wanted help from talented ponies in stopping this threat. She wants your help."

"My, help?" Trixie blinked in surprise as she processed those words. It was another technical truth; Anypony with the capability to help was welcome and Scootaloo had full faith in her abilities. Once it had properly sunk in, Trixie straightened up and whipped her mane back slightly, trying to distract from the nerves in her voice with the old show bravado. "Well, if Princess Twilight desires the aid of the Great Illusionary Artist Trixie in stopping some grand threat, then she may have it."

"Glad to hear it," Scootaloo said happily, glad to see that even the concerns weren't enough to make the theatrics take a back seat. "And don't worry, nopony's asking you to go horn-to-horn against an alicorn or anything."

"Not that she would. Trixie is powerful but not crazy," Trixie commented before relaxing again, slipping out of her old show style and back to normal. "Anyway. Since you asked me, I'm guessing you're also hoping to enlist the support of Quick Fix while you're here."

"How'd you figure that out?" Scootaloo asked in surprise.

"Because we've been having this discussion on the street where he lives for the last few minutes." Trixie deadpanned.

Scootaloo looked round quickly and realised she was right. She'd been aiming to come here all along but hadn't realised they were actually there when she'd asked Trixie about the amulet. Now that she was looking though she could see they were indeed in the right place, nearly every the house on the street showing signs of repair and modification by the pony she was after. It sounded a little odd to be asking a builder-slash-repairpony for medical help but it had been Quick Fix's drive to learn about such a thing that had put her on the path to flight in the first place. As he had once put it, there were a lot of things that could be fixed.

The two of them made their way up to Quick's house and knocked on the door. Almost immediately they both stepped back at the sound of scrambling paws and excited barking on the other side. Scootaloo chuckled softly to herself at the sound. It had caught her out the first time but after a couple of months she was used to this kind of greeting.

"Hold boy, few seconds." A stallion's voice came from behind the door, the barking subsiding before the door opened, the familiar red coated, aureolin yellow maned sight of Quick Fix behind it. A black and tan corgi was weaving between his legs, darting out at the sight of the visitors and resting his front paws on Scootaloo's hoof.

"Afternoon buddy," Scootaloo said happily, stroking between the dog's ears and grinning as he panted happily at her. "And hello to you too, Jacob. There we go, who's a good pupper eh?"

"You know, I think that's the calmest he's ever been." Trixie commented, unable to resist chuckling at his enthusiasm.

"Probably," Quick added, crouching down to draw Jacob's attention and usher him back inside. "So how're things for you both? You doing okay, Scootaloo? With all the rumors that are going around I mean."

"Honestly, I'm good," Scootaloo replied as she flexed her wings slightly. "Though, those are what we wanted to talk to you about..."

Twilight started walking the instant her hooves felt solid ground again. Teleporting to the Crystal City had been flawless as always, straight into a side room of the castle set aside for just such a purpose. It made things that little bit easier, something she was appreciating a lot with the all too familiar weight of command under pressure starting to rest on her shoulders again. That was why she was here though, to ask for the help of a pony that reminded her so much of herself. Aurora may have been only a little over half her age but he had shown considerable magical aptitude, hints of the wisdom to back it up and the strength of friendship in his heart to help end fourteen hundred years of animosity between ponies and changelings. Plus there was the fact he was her nephew. It may have been a little selfish but she naturally wanted to be sure he'd be alright if he joined up.

As she reached the entrance to the throne room she saw the doors were open. Of course she'd timed her arrival to be during an open court session but it was reassuring to see that nothing else had suddenly come up. Now she could focus fully on the task at hoof. Spike's last message before returning to Ponyville had indicated that while Aurora had fully recovered from the skirmish in the mountains, there was considerable friction between him and his parents over what happened next. Even now her ears twitched as she picked up both his voice and Cadance's coming from inside. Twilight stepped inside quickly and took in what was happening. Aurora was pacing in front of the three thrones of the empire, Cadance watching him from the center throne. Shining Armor was sat on the throne on the left, doing his best to keep up with the debate despite his chronic fatigue. In Twilight's eyes, he actually looked better than he had in some time though, like he'd actually managed to get a full night's sleep.

"I know how much I mean to the crystal ponies," Aurora was saying in exasperation. "But I'm not going to shape up to be a good leader if I'm avoiding anything that threatens them."

"And a wise leader knows when they are facing a battle they cannot win alone." Cadance countered firmly. Although her tone was largely authoritative, Twilight couldn't help but notice there was a familiar hint of a mother scolding their disobedient son in there.

"Even if they're doing it to protect those close to them," Shining added, looking up slightly and perking as he spotted his sister at the doors. "Well, how's this for perfect timing? Twily!"

"Twilight," Cadance said as she noticed her there as well, her tone and expression instantly brightening. "Good to see you again."

"Good to see all of you too," Twilight smiled as she stepped forward, moving to Aurora's side. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"Oh, not at all," Cadance shifted slightly in her seat and glanced away for the briefest of moments. "We were just discussing our next course of action. Spike told us about what happened at Princess Celestia's request."

"And you're not eager about directly confronting something like Tantabus again. Understandable...I know that I'm asking more of you both than I ever have or will again, but I believe that Aurora's talents will be a great help and I'll be looking out for his safety personally."

"Twilight, it's not as simple as that," Shining told her, still sounding more like a brother than a king even after all these years. "Tens of thousand of ponies are affected by our choices. We also have to ensure the stability of the Crystal Heart. Even with Sombra long gone, anything that could fill the crystal ponies will fear, despair or hatred will negatively affect the heart. Equestria feels its influence alongside the Crystal Empire at the best of times, possibly even the whole continent. If anything were to happen to Aurora...I don't even want to imagine how bad the effects could be for everypony."

"And things are already tense enough here," Cadance added. "All kinds of rumors about what happened are everywhere in the streets and ponies are already on edge, thinking an attack by a powerful rogue unicorn could come at any time. We're doing our best to keep things calm but between that and Onyx Dawn's latest political manoeuvring, things are worse than anypony knows. Aurora is a symbol of hope to the public. Proof that they have a future that wont be taken away from them again."

Twilight looked down and nodded, knowing that they had a point as well. She'd been so hung up on stopping Sunset and Tantabus before there were any further attacks that she hadn't given any thought to just how many factors there were in mitigating the added pressure everypony had to be feeling. It didn't change the fact that she still believed Aurora would be of major help, but there would have to be some compromise instead of her original intent.

"Mother," Aurora spoke up, looking thoughtful. "When Princess Luna came to us asking me to join Task Force Harmony, were you scared for me?"

"I..." Cadance shifted in her throne again, put on the spot by the question. "Well, of course I was. Any mother would be terrified by the thought of her son being a soldier, putting their lives on the line every day."

"But you agreed to let me go. You both did. I know I wasn't exactly a model image of a prince back then. I know that I needed the discipline and drive to shape myself up, and you did too. Before, I refused to talk to most ponies out of fear they wouldn't accept me and my talent. After, I ran across a battlefield of changelings and fought Chrysalis herself for the sake of a friend!"

Twilight couldn't help but smile slightly as she listened to her nephew, knowing from both her own experience and the accounts of Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna that he wasn't kidding. Even if he'd left out the part where he would have lost without the intervention of the changeling king.

"I'd do it again too. Every time," Aurora continued. "And I'd go to help Twilight in a heartbeat too. This is more than just throwing myself at a world-ending threat and expecting to come out the other side victorious. It's a chance for me to learn more of what it means to be a leader. The ponies of the Crystal Empire have probably been through more than anypony else in the world. They're strong, noble and have a pride and strength of will that cannot be matched because of it. They couldn't have anypony else but you to lead them right now. And they look up to me, see me as their future. Going may be a risk to me, but staying and denying myself a chance to be a leader worthy of them would be just as bad in the long run."

Aurora took a breath as he finished his impromptu speech, looking as surprised at himself as his parents did. Twilight felt a small surge of pride as she watched him. This was not the same shy, retiring stallion she had spent so many years reading and studying with. He was now proactive and committed, but just as importantly. he was a pony who would do anything for his friends. It only reminded her of herself all the more. After a minute Cadance looked over at Shining and saw him nod slightly before turning to her son again.

"You're really set on doing this aren't you?" She asked, seeing him look up at her and nod in return. "I...I understand why. Just, please be careful."

"Thank you mom, dad!" He said happily as he visibly relaxed at the news. "I'll make sure to come by regularly and let you know I'm alright."

"Best we can ask for," Shining told him, smiling gently. "I know you'll do us proud, son."

Aurora nodded and turned to Twilight, looking ready to go. She stepped closer and lit her horn, teleporting the two of them back to her castle in Ponyville. As they reappeared in the map room she moved over to it, checking that nothing had come up while she was gone.

"For the record, I think you'd make a pretty good king of the Crystal Empire as you are," She told him. "But I'm impressed that you still want to keep learning."

"I think I got that from you." He replied with a chuckle as he joined her.

"So, how would you make a start from where we are, knowing what you do?"

"Well, considering I know about Nightmare Moon, or Tantabus or whatever she calls herself now..." Aurora hummed to himself as he tapped the edge of the table, staring at the map intently. "I'll need to go to Canterlot first. Check if there's any news on Sunset's whereabouts, get any information on her that we might be able to use somehow. Oh, and I need to talk to Princess Celestia about getting more support."

"We're already working on that last part. Unless you're planning on asking her to leave Princess Luna and join the fight." Twilight told him, a slight warning tone in her voice.

"No...But we know a mare that'd be perfect for this. I just need the princess' permission to talk to her about it."

"Are you telling me that you've had a secret weapon of sorts, ready for this kind of occurrence?"

"Not this one in particular, but she would be something a secret weapon," Aurora bit his lip slightly and looked away sheepishly. "Believe me though, I've worked with her and I think she'd be perfect.

"Well, if you're running it by Princess Celestia then I'll trust your judgement."

Aurora nodded and closed his eyes, horn glowing white as he teleported away. Twilight stared at the spot he had been standing for several seconds before looking back at the map, now alone with her thoughts. She could only hope that the others had been as successful as she had in finding help to stand against the coming darkness. Now she needed to start thinking about organizing a first meeting to brief everypony on just what they were dealing with.

Chapter 7 - The Newcomers

Twilight's Castle
October 21st

Compared to the agitated atmosphere that seemed to have permeated every inch of Canterlot she'd travelled to, Ponyville felt as though nothing in Equestria was wrong. Maybe it was because ponies believed that they had Princess Twilight and her friends to watch out for them. While such an attitude was little more than a case of ignorance being bliss, there was no denying that it was a welcome attitude to be around after everything that had happened.

Twilight allowed herself to smile slightly as she sat on the balcony of her castle, taking in the view as the sun began to make its long ascent over the land. It was almost as if nothing had changed since the day she had fought Lord Tirek all those years ago, the ponies below starting their days and going about their usual business like a threat that could change Equestria forever wasn't looming over them all. It was yet another gentle reminder of just what she was fighting for as well; making sure that those who were able to live in peace could see another day like this one. There was also the less subtle reminder that was still lying in a Canterlot hospital bed, likely arguing with Moondancer right now over how many days would be needed to monitor her new wings before being allowed home.

Still, the calm air was soothing to her. There was no denying that she'd needed a few minutes to turn off her mind, bask in the sunlight and simply watch, priming herself for what was coming next. She and her friends had managed to find several ponies willing to stand against the new darkness with them, but she needed to be sure that they understood exactly what they were up against. So the first order of business was a briefing with everypony, both to give them a chance to back out if they desired and to decide on their next course of action. Even as she blinked herself back into focus, Twilight straightened up at the sight of the pegasus Applejack had talked to flying toward the castle.

"Greetings, Princess Twilight," Deep Note said as he slowed into a hover in front of the balcony. "Applejack said that I should come here today for...Whatever it is, that's happening."

"Good to meet you too," Twilight said, motioning for him to relax before he tried to bow in mid-air. It was a lot more difficult than most ponies expected. "Spike will see you through if you head through the main doors, I'll join you once everypony has arrived. And I'd stick with him, it's surprisingly easy to get lost inside."

Deep chuckled slightly and nodded, dropping down to the front doors of the castle. Twilight looked over the railing as he headed inside before looking back toward Ponyville, spotting her friends and those that had chosen to come making their way through the streets. Applejack was walking with Bounty, talking in a way that barely masked the tension between them. A casual passer-by might mistake their looks for something more intimate, although everypony knew it was a bit more complex than that by now. The CMC were also coming in a group with Trixie and Quick Fix on either side. Despite herself, Twilight couldn't help but frown slightly at the sight of her former adversary. Despite Trixie effectively moving to Ponyville once she had found success, the two of them hadn't talked directly in years and there was still some air of animosity when they were in the same room.

Still, this wasn't the time for her irritation over decades old events get in the way. There was a good chance most of their grudge was only in her head at this point, if Scootaloo's friendship with Trixie was anything to go by. Twilight silently chided herself for letting it get this far and put her focus back on the matter at hoof. She could see Pinkie Pie and Rarity just arriving now and decided to head down to meet everypony, Aurora was the only one she was waiting for now and he could just teleport in. She headed back inside and took off down the hallways, flying being a little quicker than walking for her. By the time she reached the main foyer everypony else had gone through to the map room, Spike waiting for her by the doorway leading into the castle.

"You ready for this?" He asked her gently as she approached.

"Yeah. We've done this kind of thing before. It's just a case of making sure everypony's alright with sticking by us." She replied, placing a hoof against his right shoulder. He placed a hand on hers in response, the two of them sharing a moment of mutual support.

The moment was broken by the sound of a unicorn teleporting into the lobby. Spike looked over to where it had come from and gasped, causing Twilight to wheel around quickly. It was actually two unicorns: Aurora, and his 'secret weapon'. A pink mare with a purple mane that limply dangled everywhere, the aquamarine highlights somewhat faded. Weary blue eyes and a cutie mark of a purple and white star. Seeing that mark again, attached to its original owner, was almost enough to make Twilight charge her magic to a hostile level on instinct. Even though she managed to hold back the reaction, any sense of relaxation she'd felt had been erased by the sight.

"Aurora..." She said as she approached them, teeth gritted slightly to keep from raising her voice. "I know you thought this was a good idea, but would you please explain why you thought the best pony to help us was Starlight Glimmer?!"

"Well first and most importantly, because I know she's changed," Aurora replied unflinchingly, stepping forward and meeting his aunt's gaze head on. "Second, because she wants to help stop Sunset Shimmer too. Thirdly, I trust her."

"Why?" Twilight replied flatly. Aurora replied by turning to the crestfallen Starlight and casting his sensory magic, eyes paling as he studied her. It wasn't immediately clear which point he was responding to, until he opened his mouth.

"Guilt. Her strongest feeling for the last two months. Disappointment in herself, how others see her. Fear, that everypony's reactions will mirror your own. So much sadness...Almost overwhelming. Her soul is being crushed with the weight of her past, she just wants a chance to move past it and prove she is more than she was."

Twilight' ears twitched ever so slightly as she listened. If it had been anypony else telling her this, she'd be hard pressed to believe them. She knew Aurora never lied about what he felt through his magic though, and he had been assisting in recent attempts to reform Starlight while she was being held in Canterlot. The part about her wanting to fight Sunset, that checked out too. From what Pinkie Pie had told her about what had happened at her compound, Starlight was probably itching for the chance at payback. Payback alone wouldn't be enough though. Even if she believed that this was the real thing, personal experience kept her on edge.

"I see..." She said simply as she stepped in front of Starlight, who by now was hunched up slightly and staring at the floor. "You do realise what you're getting into by wanting to help, right? Not just what we'll be facing now, but how difficult it will be afterward."

"Yes," Starlight replied meekly, looking up at Twilight. She hardly resembled the former vengeful, time altering threat she had before. Now she was little more than an aging, tired, scared mare that looked like she expected to be attacked at any moment. "If throwing myself into the jaws of Tartarus means that ponies might believe that I'm not who I used to be anymore, I'll do it."

Twilight paused for a moment as she watched. Starlight had looked away again almost as soon as she had finished talking, but it hadn't been enough to hide the look in her eyes. She was scared of Twilight. Even for a pony she had considered an enemy, the thought that she might be honest about changing and still felt that way did not sit right with the princess. Coupled with her thoughts about Trixie earlier, she realised that she needed to give this chance just as Starlight needed it. A chance to better the both of them.

"Alright. It may be a bad idea for you to join everypony right now though. The others might not be so reserved about how they see you."

"It's alright. I'll just, wait here." Starlight rubbed her leg and looked away again, the sight pitiful enough to make Twilight feel genuinely bad for her.

"Why don't you stay with her, Spike?" Aurora suggested. "You can fill her in if she wants to stay and we'll bring her in once everypony's up to speed."

"Sure. I'd probably be the best choice for that too." Spike commented. Twilight gave him a look but didn't object.

"Alright. We'd better get moving then. Everypony's waiting for us."

Aurora nodded and followed Twilight toward the map room, Spike and Starlight staying in the foyer. As they opened the doors, Twilight took a moment to double check everypony was present. Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity were in their seats, Pinkie was letting Apple Bloom sit in hers for now and Scootaloo was in Rainbow Dash's. Sweetie Belle was standing by Rarity's chair, Quick Fix by Fluttershy's, Bounty by Rainbow's, Deep Note by Applejack's and Trixie by Twilight's. She had to admit to herself that she was a little surprised that Trixie was waiting beside it rather than on it.

"-even asked really nicely," Sweetie Belle was saying. "But he said he was more help keeping the peace in Canterlot."

"Sweetie Belle, as much as I enjoyed working with him too, you can't expect him to drop his duties at such short notice." Rarity told her gently.

Sweetie's reply died in her throat as she noticed Twilight and Aurora coming in. The others noticed or picked up on it almost instantly and everypony immediately turned their focus toward them. Twilight looked over to Aurora, the look in his eyes telling her that this was not his area of expertise yet. She flashed him a quick, reassuring smile before moving up to the map and taking her seat.

"Thank you all for coming," She started, practically feeling the familiarity of the situation wearing away at her concerns. "We've asked you here because we believe you can be of help in combating a threat to Equestria that-"

"Err, Twilight?" Applejack interjected. "You don't need to be so formal."

"Right, sorry, force of habit," Twilight shifted and cleared her throat, taking a moment to get her mind back on track. "First things first then. Aurora, Bounty, Trixie, Quick Fix, Deep Note. Before we discuss things any further, I need to be honest with you. While you're here because we think you'll be able to help us, our duties as the Elements of Harmony tend to be a lot more dangerous than ponies think. All the risks of going up against something capable of destroying Equestria aside, it's also a lot of mental pressure. Knowing what's at stake and what, or who, you can lose. Speaking from experience, the consequences of any potential lapse can be disastrous...I'm only telling you this because I don't want to see anypony else get hurt. If you want to back out, everypony will understand."

As she finished her warning, Twilight looked round to gauge their reactions. Trixie and Quick both looked nervous, though neither seemed like they were about to walk away. Deep was looking over at Applejack, his expression unreadable. Bounty was rubbing his chin thoughtfully, seemingly debating the issue in his head. Aurora simply kept studying the map, determination etched on his features.

"I've run long enough..." Trixie said quietly to herself before looking up at Twilight. "After everything I've done in the past, putting my magic toward saving Ponyville for a change is worth the risk. I'm staying."

"As am I," Bounty chimed in. "The way I see it, this is going to be for us like it was when you faced Nightmare Moon. Only we'll have all of you to help us through it, so it can't be quite as bad."

"Well when you put it that way..." Quick stepped forward slightly and nodded, though he sounded a little shaken. "Yeah...Yeah, I'll stay and help however I can."

Twilight nodded, making a mental note to keep a guilt-free exit option open for each of them. Deep Note was less likely to need one since he had been the only newcomer to offer their help rather than being asked, and Aurora's drive rivalled her own. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had already given their support and had lived through his kind of thing before. Besides, the trio were almost inseparable once together. If any of them had been rejected they would have come along anyway. Now that that was settled, it was time to get down to the real business.

"Thank you," She told them reassuringly before leaning forward, placing a hoof on the edge of the map. "Now...No doubt you've all heard the rumors over the last few days. What we discuss about them today cannot be told to anypony outside this room."

"And this isn't just some regular secret," Pinkie interjected, looking round the table quickly. "This is serious business if we don't want a panic riot party starting. That'll just make everything worse. We need a Pinkie promise that you won't tell anypony about this!"

"A ah...A what?" Deep whispered to Applejack. As the only non-Ponyville resident present, it made sense he had no idea what Pinkie was talking about.

"Just follow the motions. It's something Pinkie takes pretty seriously." AJ whispered back to him, grinning slightly as he attempted to mimic the others actions. Once everypony had finished, Pinkie looked to Twilight and nodded.

"So...In the shortest terms. Nightmare Moon is back, and she's found a way to jump from Princess Luna and possess another pony. A former student of Princess Celestia called Sunset Shimmer." Twilight explained. Attempting to explain about Tantabus and the lekli would likely be a bit too much right now.

"We don't know why she did it, possibly to give herself a little more freedom in her next takeover attempt," Aurora added, looking steadily at everypony. "It also seems to have done something to her mentality. She's taken to calling herself Tantabus for whatever reason. Unfortunatly, she isn't pulling any punches this time either. She's volatile, she's aware of our capabilities and unlike Princess Luna, Sunset is a highly powerful unicorn that doesn't seem capable of reining her in."

"It gets worse," Twilight looked down for a moment, trying to figure out how to phrase her next sentence without giving too much away. "It turns out she and Princess Luna had some kind of, symbiotic relationship with each other. I don't know how deep it goes, but it's already clear that if we don't find a way to reunite them..."

The table went silent for several seconds as the implication sunk in for everypony. If they weren't aware just how high the stakes were before, they were fully aware now. To their credit, all of them still looked ready to stay and do their part.

"Do we even know how to do that?" Bounty eventually asked, the cautiousness in his voice attempting to mask his nerves.

"Princess Celestia and I are working on a spell to do just that. In the meantime, Aurora has been figuring out our next course of action." Twilight explained. It was far from what she wanted to say, but the truth was that there was no existing countermeasure for a situation like this. Why would there have been when knowledge of the lekli's capabilities, their whole existence, had been lost to the world for tens of millennia?

"Thank you, aunt," Aurora said as he leaned over the map, studying it and glancing up at the others with intent. "As things stand, Tantabus is currently in hiding, probably making a plan like we are. Commander Night Glider of the defence force's Recon Corps has every available pony searching for any sign of her whereabouts, but even if they find her, the best they could do is track her movements. Right now our opponent's power is stymied due to the fact that, as talented and ambitious as Sunset Shimmer is, her magic is significantly less powerful than Princess Luna's. Her first priority will be finding a way to overcome that flaw. Unfortunately, there is an artefact that basically exists for just such a purpose."

"Oh no..." Trixie gasped before she could stop herself. The outburst momentarily drew everypony's attention, only for them to catch on as they realised why she was having the worst reaction.

"I'm afraid so," Aurora continued solemnly. "The Alicorn Amulet. Even worse, with how into studying magical artefacts Sunset was, it'd be foolishly naïve to assume that she didn't find out where it was hidden during her studies."

"And one way or another, Nightmare Moon will get that information if she has it," Rarity deduced, resting her chin on a hoof and frowning slightly. "Or, Tantabus, whichever we end up calling her."

"Yes. Once she has the amulet, her next focus will be denying us the power that stopped her last time: The Tree of Harmony and the elements within."

There were more than a few flashes of concern on everypony's faces as they processed this new development. Twilight was likely the only one present who could currently stand up to Sunset, and that wouldn't mean much without a means of stopping her for good. Princess Celestia would be preoccupied aiding her sister and taking care of wider Equestria. If Tantabus succeeded in getting her hooves on the amulet now, everypony's situation would be much direr.

"Do...Do we have ANY advantage?" Sweetie Belle asked timidly, looking more unsettled than anypony right now. Rarity placed a hoof on her sister's shoulder and let her lean into a supportive hug.

"We have each other," Twilight told her reassuringly. "There are fifteen of us, including Spike, against one of her. There's a lot we can do with that. Most significantly, we can retrieve the amulet and the elements at the same time, giving us a major advantage. That's why-"

Twilight's explanation was suddenly cut off by an enraged scream coming from the foyer. She immediately teleported out to the source of the disturbance before the others could even get up. She had no idea what to expect, yet as she reappeared she was still caught out by the sight before her. Spike was holding back a mare that was furiously attempting to force her way past him and to Starlight Glimmer, who was cowering against a wall, holding her head in pain. The instant everypony else arrived and saw what was happening, the atmosphere in the room froze over.

"Peace Walker?!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "What the hay're you doing here?"

"Never mind that," Applejack said tersely as she looked toward Twilight and pointed at Starlight. "What's SHE doing here?!"

Twilight shot Aurora a look of momentary irritation before withdrawing it, remembering that this entirely wasn't his fault, even if he'd brought Starlight here. Right now though, they were going to need to do a lot of explaining to everypony.

"We have a bad history." Peace Walker told Twilight simply. Considering what Spike had told her, how Peace had come into the castle looking completely calm, only to launch herself at Starlight the instant she had spotted her, that seemed to be something of an understatement. Quick Fix had taken Starlight through to a side room and was checking her over while they spoke.

"Really bad, don't ask about it," Pinkie told Twilight, getting a small nod of thanks from Peace. "Though, how did you get here? Did you set up some kind of secret network to break you out from hospital and avenge your husband?"

"Not quite," Peace told her, allowing herself to chuckle slightly at the very idea idea. "I still had my papers for getting discharged after we talked. Just had to keep them out of Dr. Searcher's way until he left and then check myself out. It's all been done cleanly and legally, so now I'm here. I know about what happened, thanks to Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom. I know you're going to go after Sunset Shimmer and I know I want to help deal with my husband's murderer. I can track, I can fight, and I have as much reason as anypony else to be here."

Twilight studied her silently, weighing up her options. Both Pinkie and Bloom's accounts of what happened in the San Palomino Desert and their more recent meeting with Peace painted her as a determined trooper, even more so considering how forceful her tone was. Sending her back to Canterlot would probably just see her attempt to follow the group again or track Sunset down alone. Either one would just add an extra layer of tension when everypony needed it least and only put more ponies at unnecessary risk. Not to mention she was volunteering to help. Maybe...

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" Twilight asked, watching as Peace shook her head firmly. "Alright. We'll have you with us, but you have to stay with either me or Spike when outside this castle. It means nopony will attempt to drag you off again for now but you have to follow our directions at all times, and you can't give Starlight Glimmer any more trouble. You two are on the same side now."

Peace looked unimpressed at that last point but didn't object. She simply nodded and turned to look at everypony else she'd be working with.

"So, you're sure about Starlight?" Fluttershy piped up, glancing over as she saw Quick approaching. Starlight was hanging back in the room they'd been in, avoiding meeting anypony's gaze.

"Spike and Aurora both think she's at least genuine about wanting to stop Sunset. If nothing else, I trust their judgement," Twilight replied before turning to Quick. "How's she doing?"

"Well, Peace did manage to slug her between the eyes before being restrained," Quick explained. "Lucky for Starlight, she's got quite a thick skull. Nothing worse than a bruise and a headache."

"Alright," Twilight thought for a moment before nodding. "Aurora, you fill Spike and Peace Walker in on the meeting and what everypony else will be doing. Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Bounty, Trixie, Starlight, I'd like to run through what we'll be doing and some spells that will help us."

As the gathered unicorns followed her away, Spike watched her silently. He'd been through this 'Fate of Equestria' scenario enough times to know the warning signs. Twilight was under more stress than she was letting on. For now though, he just had to hope that their coming tasks would prove successful and the pressure would be off before things escalated further.

Chapter 8 - A Long Road to Harmony

Sunlight filtered through the windows of the castle as Spike made his way along the hallways, illuminating his view with a faint cobalt glow. It was something that he'd grown accustomed to over the years but it always had a soothing effect whenever his nerves were frayed. Something told him that he needed it right now. Every time one of these major adventures began, he couldn't help but wonder to himself if this would be the last time he would see his home so peaceful. Or ever at all. The thought wasn't helped by the knowledge of just what they would be doing.

Twilight and Aurora's plan was relatively straightforward: Split up into two groups and move to secure both the Elements of Harmony and the Alicorn Amulet at the same time. He would be leading the ponies headed into the Everfree Forest for the elements and had already taken measures to ensure everypony would be safe while inside. Twilight would take all the unicorns in their group and get the amulet. It may have seemed strange to do so, but Aurora's belief was that Tantabus would be focused on the offensive and go after the amulet. Unless they were lucky enough for her not to know about it, it was possible that she would get there at the same time they did. As the events of the past few days had shown, it was likely that those without magic wouldn't stand a chance in a straight fight.

The worrying thoughts lingering in his mind, he took a slow breath to calm himself before reaching the door to Twilight's room and opened it up.

"Twilight? Everypony's ready to go."

Spike didn't even blink as a white marble shot toward his face before stopping an inch away from his nose. He was long used to Twilight's style of meditation and she hardly ever clipped him anymore, even when caught by surprise. Twilight herself was sat in the center of her room, levitating herself in her magic with a full set of similar marbles orbiting her in all directions. Once the lone marble had been returned to the others she opened an eye and lowered herself back to the ground, setting the marbles down in a case by her bed.

"Thanks, Spike. I think I am too." She said, her voice a little smoother than it had been earlier. A quick glance at the clock confirmed it was only half past three. Earlier than anticipated considering the rapid briefing and training she had been through with the other unicorns, followed by a brief period to relax herself. They would need to head out now if everypony was to be back safe before nightfall though.

"Glad to see it," The dragon commented as he waited for Twilight to join him, the two of them making their way back toward the foyer. "So how did it go with the others."

"Well, Sweetie Belle hasn't lost her drive to learn from me," Twilight smiled wistfully, remembering just how close she had come to taking her on as a student after becoming Princess of Friendship. "She picked up the basics of shield magic really quickly. Starlight Glimmer doesn't seem to have lost much of her strength. If she can keep it focused...Rarity and Bounty may not be as used to this sort of thing but Aurora will be looking out for everypony."

"Same as I will for the others."

Twilight's smile became more genuine at that, not needing any words to show how much his support meant. By the time they reached the foyer everypony had gathered in preparation. Aurora, Rarity, Bounty, Sweetie Belle, Trixie and Starlight were off to one side with everypony else waiting by the main doors. Only Fluttershy was missing, likely making sure her family was alright before she set out.

"Alright everypony," Twilight said as she made her way down to ground level, doing her best to keep her voice calm. "I just want you to know that I trust you all. Even you, Starlight. Look out for each other, be careful, and everything will be alright."

"...That's it?" Trixie asked after a moment of silence. Although there was some teasing in her tone, it was mostly genuine surprise.

"Sometimes we don't have time for a big friendship speech," Twilight replied as she moved over to the unicorns. Trixie looked a little put out but didn't comment. "Okay, gather close to me or Aurora."

As the group huddled up in preparation for their part, Spike came over to the remaining pegasi and earth ponies. Applejack, Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie looked as ready to go as ever, Peace Walker even more so. Deep Note was fidgeting with his wings slightly and Quick Fix wasn't even trying to hide how nervous he looked, although Scootaloo was doing her best to keep him focused.

"We all ready here?" Spike asked as he joined them.

"Sure are," Applejack told him. "Fluttershy went on ahead to check up on her kids. She'll meet us at her place."

"Alright. We shouldn't waste any more time then."

Spike took a last look back as Twilight and Aurora teleported away with their group before setting his sights forward again and pushing the doors open. The seven ponies and one dragon set off at a quick pace, making their way across Ponyville. At the back of the group, Scootaloo noticed that Quick was lagging behind slightly and dropped back to fall in step with him.

"You okay?" She asked gently. It took a moment for him to blink back into focus and look at her.

"I err, yeah. Yeah, kinda," He admitted, sighing slightly. "I'm just...Well, I'm scared about all this. I mean I actually get nervous about my own job if I let my thoughts dwell on it. This is times a million."

"You know there's no shame in backing out right? No need to try and be a hero just to impress anypony."

"I know. But I promised to help however I could, I'm not going to give up now. Besides, being a hero takes a bit more than just standing up against evil."

"Actually that's pretty much all you need," Peace Walker interjected, glancing back at them. "The will to stand your ground, mixed with being in the wrong place at the right time and enough luck for three lifetimes. At least, that's how Bulwark always put it..."

Scootaloo and Quick exchanged a look and moved forward to stick with Peace. Even if they were attempting to discuss an awkward topic, it put the stallion's focus back where it needed to be.

The general discussion slipped back into more positive topics for everypony else after that, almost like they were just a regular group with nothing wrong looming over them. Before long they had passed through town and were making their way toward Fluttershy's cottage and wildlife sanctuary. Fluttershy was waiting for them by the entrance gates, her wings twitching slightly. Standing next to her was a familiar zebra, studying everypony calmly as they approached.

"Fluttershy, Warden Zecora." Spike greeted them both. Zecora chuckled softly and raised a hoof in good natured dismissal.

"My friend, you need not be so formal. I still prefer to be treated like normal." She replied. Time had been kind to the herbalist turned protector of the Everfree Forest. Despite being in her late fifties, she was as physically adept as she was twenty years ago and the only significant difference in her appearance was her manestyle, now flowing loosely and tucked under the hem of a light brown robe she wore for carrying plants, seeds and concoctions.

"You doing alright too, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked her friend as she came up to her.

"Oh, yes," Fluttershy replied, smiling gently. "Silent Breeze and Mist Chaser know everything they need to to look after the sanctuary and Star Glider settled quickly again after nursing. I'm ready now."

"Is everypony else ready to proceed?" Zecora asked, watching as they all either motioned or voiced their readiness. "Then let us make haste, and may our task succeed."

Zecora quickly turned and started down the path that led on toward the Everfree, the rest of the group following closely behind her. Although the forest retained much of its imposing appearance from the outside, once they had passed through the outer perimeter of trees it felt largely like any other woodland. Enough sunlight filtered through the canopy to provide good visibility and the few creatures that were about quickly scurried away in the face of such a sizeable group.

"Maybe it's just me being unfamiliar with it," Peace said after as the surroundings got slightly darker. "But, are we sure that just walking into the most dangerous forest in Equestria is a good idea?"

"Oh we used to do it all the time," Pinkie told her, bouncing in place for a moment to drop back beside her. "And that was before we had pony troopers keeping these outskirts clear and Zecora doing her part to keep those beasties deeper in calm. We're probably safer here right now than we were in Ponyville."

"An' if we weren't, ah'd just have to protect you." Apple Bloom told Pinkie teasingly, getting a giggle out of the party mare. Peace gave an almost unnoticeable shudder at that and looked firmly forward again.

"I wouldn't worry," Spike told her reassuringly. "The Everfree forest really has lost a lot of its edge over the years. Even if there are still things big enough to cause trouble, Zecora could probably handle most of them. With me here too, nothing's gonna lay a claw on any of you."

"Ah sure hope so," Applejack said quietly, sighing to herself. "I really don't want to have to face another chimera or cragadile..."

"Well, it's like Princess Twilight said, we'll be looking out for each other," Deep Note said to her as he gave her a gentle nudge with his wing and got thankful smile for it. "Though, why a cragadile?"

"We made a bad decision regarding Twilight after an encounter with one years ago," Fluttershy explained, hoping to spare Applejack from having to admit it had been her idea. "An understandable one in the moment, but still wrong."

That reminds me," Apple Bloom said after a few moments of quiet. "Twilight always said that the Tree of Harmony generated a magic that helped keep the forest contained. Is taking the elements that give it strength a good idea? Or are we just riskin' another threat once we're done?"

"It's a much stronger tree than you like, almost like it's made of iron instead of wood," Pinkie told her. "I mean it managed to go without the elements for a good two thousand, two hundred and eighty three years without them, all while getting some pretty serious poking from Discord's plunder seeds. I doubt it'll mind if we borrow them for a week. Three tops."

"Okay, but...Are we even gonna be able t'get them without Twilight, Rarity an' Rainbow Dash?"

Fluttershy and Scootaloo suddenly looked more worried at the thought. Applejack straight up stopped in surprise, causing Quick to walk into her from behind. The whole group stopped for a moment as the four of them untangled themselves and regained their composure.

"Twilight was certain that we won't have that problem," Spike explained before anypony could start to worry further. "She was able to return each of the elements to the tree on her own and theorized that just the presence of an element bearer will be enough to retrieve them. If not, we'll think of something."

"Let's hope so. I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't shake the feeling we're going to run into trouble." Quick said as the group started moving again, the nerves seeping back into his voice.

"Do not underestimate the strength in your soul, we are all more than capable of reaching this goal," Zecora told him. "If we are alone, it is still a boon, for if we hurry then we shall be there soon."

"She's right, Quick. The quicker we're done, the less likely it is something'll go wrong," Deep added, spurring the earth stallion into quickening his pace. "Though I have to admit, it being calm does worry me."

"Yeah, if we're not the ones running into trouble..." Scootaloo said, picking up her pace as well.

"Maybe the others have finished already." Fluttershy offered hopefully. It was a welcome thought but nopony could shake the idea that it wasn't going to be that simple.

The rest of the walk was made in comparative silence. Although they weren't headed for the deepest depths of the Everfree, the thicker canopy and setting sun meant that the light was fading fast. Zecora knew the trails better than anypony and kept the group moving, quickly weaving her way through the trees with everypony following close behind. After a few more minutes the trees gave way to open space, allowing the group to spread out slightly and take in the view before them. A familiar rocky chasm stretched ahead, the ground beyond rising steadily to the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, silhouetted slightly by the setting sun. An isolated cave just visible within the canyon marked their final destination; the Tree of Harmony.

"There, it was not so tough. We are here sure enough." Zecora said with a small grin. Quick just nodded, looked visibly relieved to be out of the woods at this point.

"Alrighty then, let's get down there and get some elements, again!" Pinkie declared, bouncing forward and over the edge of the cliff, going into a dive only to stop after a few feet. "Wheeeeaaaat?"

"Pinkie Pie, there are stairs. Remember?" Applejack said to her, effortlessly holding her friend by the tail to keep her from dropping any further.

"Oh yeah. I mean duh, I found them." Pinkie said, mostly to herself as Applejack hauled her back up to safe ground.

"They were literally twenty feet away too," Apple Bloom added, chuckling softly. "Never change, Pinball."

With a way down established, the group made their descent. Fluttershy, Scootaloo and Deep Note flew down while Spike dug his claws into the rock face and clambered down, being a big too big for the stairs everypony else was using. Between the lighter environment now they were in the open and the prospect of their task almost being complete, everypony was in higher spirits.

"Alright, let's not waste any time," Spike said once they were all on the ground again. "Quick Fix, Deep Note, Peace Walker and I will keep watch for Tantabus out here. Everyone else, do your best to get the elements from the tree."

"You got it," Applejack replied, quickly turning for the cave. "Come on girls."

"And don't worry about getting jumped in there," Quick told them in an effort to be reassuring while Deep took off to watch from above. "We'll keep a keen eye open. I mean, I will, Alert is my middle name."

"It's actually Daniel." Pinkie whispered to Scootaloo, making the younger mare chuckle knowingly.

With the others taking up positions outside, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Zecora made their way into the cave. It was even brighter in here than outside, the glow of dozens of white leaves reflecting off the crystalline trunk of the Tree of Harmony. The elements of honesty, laughter, loyalty, generosity and kindness were still in place at the end of each main branch, the element of magic firmly fixed to the main trunk, each still styled after the cutie marks of their bearers. Nopony had been here in years but the sight was no less spectacular, even for those that had seen it before.

"Woah..." Scootaloo said quietly, eyes widening as she took it in, completely awestruck. "So this is where all the rainbow laser powers Rainbow Dash told me about come from?"

"Pretty much." Applejack replied. Filling her in on their actual purpose would be a long story. Explaining the truth as Twilight had learned from Princess Celestia would take all night.

"It looks even better than the last time I saw it." Fluttershy said happily, flapping up to her element and studying the tree.

Applejack nodded as she moved under the branch where honesty rested, Pinkie bounding up to hers and watched it expectantly. For several seconds, nothing happened. Several more seconds passed, still nothing.

"So, is there some kinda trigger to get them out?" Apple Bloom asked as she moved up to the tree and looked over the marks of Celestia and Luna engraved below the element of magic.

"Honestly, ah'm not sure. Normally they just react to however we needed them," Applejack admitted. "That and we've never actually tried to remove them from the tree either."

"Awww come on Mr. Tree. Can we just borrow them to save Equestria again? Please?" Pinkie asked, narrowing her eyes and focusing extra hard.

Just as Scootaloo leaned in with a quizzical look, the three glowed slightly brighter for the briefest of moments before the elements detached from their branches. Fluttershy was in position for hers to drop into her hooves while Applejack and Pinkie caught theirs as they fell. Apple Bloom was underneath the element of loyalty and managed to catch it as well. Scootaloo quickly darted over and grabbed the element of generosity before it hit the ground.

"Did...Did that actually work?" Scootaloo asked in disbelief, turning the element over in her hooves to make sure it hadn't taken any knocks.

"Eh, I'm good with persuading inanimate objects." Pinkie replied simply, slipping her element in her mane for storage.

"I cannot say what caused the tree to concede, but there is still one element not yet freed." Zecora pointed out. Sure enough, the element of magic was still firmly in place within the trunk.

"Hmmm. I wonder why that one got left behind." Fluttershy mused, hovering in front of the tree and looking it over.

"Well, we've got five out of six," Apple Bloom added. "If I'm honest, ah think it might be an idea to head back before the night sets in though. If Twilight got her part done she can just magic here, get her element and be done quicker than anything. If she didn't, then one way or another it probably don't matter."

"That's...That's a fair point sis," Applejack said, both her and Zecora smiling with content at seeing such sense from the young mare. "Ain't gonna be much help trying to force the last element when we don't even know how we got these ones."

"Alright then, let's get out of here. Some of us probably don't want to be in the Everfree after dark." Scootaloo said as she headed for the exit at a quick trot.

The other five made to follow her out, knowing that overstaying their welcome in this particular forest was a risk they didn't need to take. Just as they reached the exit though, a sudden flash from behind made everypony swing round, braced for anything. Even though it was immediately evident that nothing had happened to the Tree of Harmony, none of them were prepared for the pony that was standing before it.

Or the one lying unconscious at their hooves.

Author's Note

Not gonna lie, after this I have a lot more respect for every show writer that has done an episode with Zecora in it.

Chapter 9 - Paid in Blood

Twenty minutes earlier...

Rarity shuddered slightly as she felt the world come back into focus around her, not used to the unfamiliar, uncomfortable and frankly unpleasant feeling of teleportation. Her ears instantly folded back as the general quiet of the castle was replaced by the roar of rushing water not ten feet away. As Bounty and Trixie came into view, trying to get their bearings, she could see they were in a tunnel of sorts, pony made if the smoothness of the wall and ceiling were any indication. To her left was open air with a thick, constant cascade of water pouring as far as the eye could see in both directions, thick enough to block any view past it. Just ahead of her, Twilight Sparkle was looking back to see that Aurora's group had arrived as well. Sweetie Belle and Starlight Glimmer had travelled with her and were similarly taking in their surroundings. Aurora himself was nowhere in sight, though a near inaudible sound of magic behind her indicated that he was there.

"This way!" Twilight shouted, barely able to be heard over the unrelenting cacophony assaulting their senses from all sides.

With it as hard it was to even think straight, the others wasted no time in following her further down the pathway. Although the rock beneath them was coated in a thin layer of water spray, everypony managed to keep on their hooves until the path turned right, into a tunnel carved directly through the rock. The route narrowed so they had to progress in single file from here, Twilight, Sweetie and Aurora lighting their horns as they advanced into the darkness.

"So, where exactly are we?" Bounty asked once noise outside had dropped to a tolerable level.

"Neighagra Falls, a few miles upriver from Whinnyapolis," Twilight explained. "A number of tunnels and vaults were built behind each of the twelve waterfalls near the end of the Contact War, designed to store artefacts and provide refuge for ponies in case the city fell to the yaks. After Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ended the war, the vaults were vacated and largely forgotten by all but the most detailed history books."

"Judging by the intensity of the waterfall outside, I'm guessing we're behind Terra Falls?" Aurora mused as he glanced behind them. Not that it was much help with how dark everything else was. In addition, he now wore a pair of saddlebags that hadn't been there when they had arrived. Rarity was tempted to ask but decided against it. He must have simply forgotten them in the spur of the moment and fetched them once everypony was safely here.

"Furthest from the city and hardest to reach," Twilight confirmed. "Combined with how few ponies even know about its existence and the wards Princess Celestia placed upon the vault here, it's probably the best protected secret in Equestria. Ideal as a hiding place for the Alicorn Amulet."

"So...If it's so secure, why are we going to try and move the amulet?" Starlight asked cautiously.

"Well firstly, we're not just going to try," Twilight replied, glancing back at her. Even that was enough to cow the older mare back into silence. "Secondly, between Sunset almost certainly knowing about the vault and Nightmare Moon knowing the magic Luna used to help seal it, it's only a matter of time before she could force her way through the defences. Even if she didn't, it's much less of a risk for us to move it rather than leave its fate to chance."

Starlight nodded and looked down slightly. The discussion trailed off after that, the group proceeding in silence for another minute before the tunnel ended. The light of their horns was now enough to light the room before them. In contrast to the tunnel that had been cut out of the rock, the floor was laid with gray flagstones and four pairs of support pillars ran down the sides of the fifty foot long cave, although the one in the far right corner had collapsed. Another doorway lay at the far end of the room, the room beyond still shrouded in darkness. Every few seconds a faint yellow gleam appeared from somewhere in the next room before fading again.

"We're here..." Twilight said quietly, the edge in her voice vanishing at the thought of being able to visit another historical site.

"Okay, let's see," Aurora said as he entered at the back of the line and undid the catches on his saddlebags, taking a quick look around the room. "Are you sure you'll be able to open all the protective spells up on such short notice?"

"It'll be delicate work to undo them and I can't rush it," Twilight admitted, shaking her head slightly to get her focus back. "But I was walked through exactly what I need to do. The drain on my magic will be insignificant enough that I can keep a forcefield up over the door too, just in case."

"In that case, you should take this," Aurora pulled a unicorn's helmet out of his left saddlebag and passed it over to Twilight. "It was Healing Wave's. I know borrowing things from the dead isn't right but there wasn't time to get a new one made. It won't fit but it'll let me keep you filled in on what's happening out here."

"I appreciate it," Twilight replied simply, unable to read Aurora's reaction before he took his own helmet out of the other saddlebag. As he fitted it on and left the saddlebags by the far doorway, there was a sudden sense in everypony that there might not be another chance for any of them to do something like that. "Thanks. I'll make this as quick as I can though. If anything comes up, I have faith in every one of you to protect each other. Don't take any undue risks."

She gave each of them a last look, doing her best not to look any less supportive toward Starlight Glimmer, before turning and walking into the vault chamber. As soon as she was through the entry her horn glowed brighter and a purple forcefield rose up across it. The six remaining unicorns took a moment to silently acknowledge that they were on their own now before turning to each other. Aurora gave a quiet sigh and turned in a slow circle as he studied the room, breaking the lull and setting everypony's mind on the matter at hoof.

"Well then..." Rarity spoke first, determination in her voice. "Aurora, darling, you have better experience with this sort of thing. How do you propose we go about standing our ground?"

"I ah..." Starlight suddenly spoke up, tensing up as everypony turned to look at her. After a few moments Aurora motioned for her to continue. "I, may have an idea of how to start."

Was that a light?

Maybe she was just hallucinating it. But she'd take it if it meant not being alone anymore. It wasn't the darkness she'd been left with for the past...How long had it been?

It didn't matter. Anything was better than being a prisoner in her own mind, no more capable of influencing her own body than a whisper was of being heard through a storm.

Sunset Shimmer gasped as the world around her suddenly flashed back into existence. Even with her eyes shut she could feel her pupils rapidly dilating back to their regular size, the hum of somepony else's magic piercing the silence she had been trapped with. She staggered slightly as her senses and control returned to her. Tantabus had made it perfectly clear that she would only relinquish her body in highly specialised circumstances. What made this one stand out?

She opened her eyes and froze up again, realising instantly.

She was in a dark room, seemingly underground from what little of the walls she could see. It was almost as dark as her mental prison, the only real light coming from a shimmering purple barrier at the far end of the room. Sitting before it, roughly thirty feet ahead of her, was a lone pink unicorn. Her horn was lit up, its turquoise glow just visible over her mane. From the sickening sense of déjà vu that was gripping her at the sight, Sunset knew exactly why she'd been allowed to see this.

"Starlight?" She asked warily. Starlight slowly looked over her shoulder in response, her magic making her eye glow pure white. There it was. That psychotic look. Sunset had accidentally seen that look from that same pony when she was ten years old, and in the darkest of her nightmares ever since.

"Sunset," Starlight replied calmly, her eyes returning to normal as her magic faded. She looked a mess compared to their last encounter several months ago, but the crazed glint in her eyes was now gone. Now she was focused, full of intent, far more dangerous. "I'd say this isn't personal but..."

"Starlight, please. I-I'm not your enemy here. I'm-"

"Oh we know," Starlight smirked slightly as her horn came to life again, five more igniting their light in the darkness moments later. One pink, one white, one pale green, two blue. "We're going to deal with it for you."

Sunset didn't have time to respond before she felt her eyes closing without her. Her world was closing into again, control over her most basic functions being ripped away. This wasn't like before, this time she was going to be made to watch. A point emphasised as she heard herself give a dry chuckle, knowing Tantabus was back in control again, hearing her voice coming out of her mouth again.

"That was a good way to unsettle Sunset. It's a shame you're not going to be dealing with her."

Twilight's eyes narrowed as she tracked the motions of a faint blue spark of magic, watching it make a long curling motion over the vault door in front of her. Celestia and Luna had placed almost every protective spell there was here to keep the amulet safe and while she knew the counter spells necessary to undo them, the fact her magic had not interacted with the defences before meant she needed to mimic the requirements perfectly. Failure could have any number of consequences, all of which would almost certainly leave her distracted or incapacitated long enough to put everypony outside in jeopardy.

"Twilight?"

She jumped slightly as she heard Aurora's voice quietly coming from her right. Thankfully she hadn't been in the middle of attempting to disarm any of the wards. She reached over to the helmet and picked it up, never taking her eyes off the vault as she lifted the mouthplate to her muzzle.

"I'm here, Aurora. Is everything okay?"

"So far, just-Whoa!"

Twilight flinched as she felt a beam of magic impact the forcefield behind her. It was barely any drain on her reserves or attention, but the recognition of what it meant made her heart sink.

"We're all alright," Aurora quickly reassured her. "Don't risk rushing it for our sakes, we'll still buy you all the time you need."

"Alright. Be careful...All of you."

Twilight stared down at the helmet for a moment before putting it down in front of her. She had sounded calm, but the reality of the situation was that she was on the clock now. Aurora and her had once done a study on the difference in magic strength between unicorns and alicorns, the results showing that the gap was immense. Six unicorns, some with above average or high level magic power, against one that was among the most gifted alive and had an alicorn's knowledge of how to utilise that power. It was a battle of attrition on the other side of the barrier, one that Tantabus would inevitably win.

She put all her focus back into the spells and started undoing the next one, going as quick as she dared.

The former darkness of the chamber was rent asunder, beams of magic painting the area in their lurid glows, some of them colliding and forming even more mixtures from the flash. Tantabus had only been able to advance five feet before being forced onto the defensive, twisting, dodging and teleporting around incoming attacks. Yet the look on her face was one of exhilaration, like she was in the middle of some twisted rave. Rarity and Bounty were using the rubble of the collapsed pillar for cover, firing repeatedly to keep their opponent off-balance. Trixie was bunkered down behind the lone pillar closest to the vault, Sweetie Belle and Aurora doing the same from the next pair up. Starlight Glimmer had adopted a unique angle for the engagement, levitating herself into the air and attacking from above.

"Keep spread out!" Aurora called back to Rarity, flinching as Tantabus' magic nicked his cover and blasted a small chunk away. He already knew none of them stood a chance in a straight fight and making what few advantages they had last was the only way anypony was coming out of this in one piece.

Bounty nodded and used an opening while the others upped the pressure on Tantabus to move to the other end of the rubble, putting himself closest to the barrier. Starlight used the covering fire to bring herself round to the left side of the room and dove for her enemy as soon as the attack ceased. Tantabus barely had time to spot the incoming body before the two of them collided, sending them tumbling to the right. Starlight attempted to stop herself to continue the assault, only to be countered as Tantabus managed to plant her back hooves into her stomach and buck her off in mid roll.

"Pathetic." Tantabus grunted as she landed on her back, looking up to see Starlight skidding to a halt next to the nearest pillar. She immediately shot a beam of her tainted aqua magic at the stricken unicorn, only noticing too late that Sweetie Belle had dashed up from her position, getting between the two and bringing up a magic barrier of her own. The shield spluttered under fire due to the caster's inexperience but held out, long enough for Starlight to get back to her hooves.

The two of them pulled back toward their allies as soon as they could, Sweetie looking visibly taxed from the effort of using such magic for the first time. Tantabus rolled back onto her front and stood up and took aim at the retreating pair, only for a bolt of blue magic to graze her front left fetlock. She snarled as the leg nearly gave out under her and threw up her own shield to absorb the next wave of magic. The pause gave her a moment to judge the positions of her enemies. Sweetie and Starlight had pulled back closer to Rarity and Bounty's position. Aurora was moving for cover at the same pillar as Trixie, who was leaning out cautiously with her horn lit up. The sight of them all, a bunch of defects that would barely be worth the energy to kill in the old empire, the knowledge that they were managing to make an embarrassment out of her...

Tantabus snarled and lifted herself up in her magic, keeping the shield up as she hit the ground and charged, letting it shrug off a fresh barrage of attacks. Once the gap had closed to twenty feet she poured her strength into her magic and collapsed the shield. Before anypony could react she gripped all six of them at once and telekinetically lifted them up, her magic crushing against them like a vice. The mixture of lights that had been illuminating the room died off at once, only the ominous aqua glow remaining. The only ones that could move at all were Aurora, the carbonado layer of his helmet resistant to the effects, and Trixie, who was attempting to struggle against the restraints, her horn lit up in a vain attempt to release herself.

"Really, I'm not sure what surprises me more," Tantabus told them firmly. Her horn launched sparks of black and blue as she violently flipped Aurora over so he couldn't aim at her. "That you genuinely thought that you could stop me, or that it would be so easy."

"We knew what we were getting into," Aurora retorted, sounding groggy from getting shaken up like that. "We don't have to win, all we have to do is fight. Riling you up with a hit like that was just a bonus."

"Or you could just die. It's a shame that I have to do it in this insignificant body, but to turn the true might of an alicorn upon such trash would be a waste."

"Hmm, that sounds familiar."

Tantabus scowled as she looked over at Trixie. Not just for the interruption, but because it sounded like her voice was coming out twice.

"Yeah, I remember that feeling of egotism and wanting to be the best. The thing is..."

Trixie smirked and the glow around her horn increased. Before anypony could react she faded away, the magic around her gripping at nothing. Tantabus had enough time to realise she'd been duped by master-level illusion magic before a solid pink beam hit her square in her right side. The force of the blow sent her crashing into the opposite wall, kicking up a cloud of dust as she cried out. With her focus broken, the other five were released and dropped back to the floor, Aurora coming down on his side due to his position.

"All it does is make a fool out of you," Trixie finished as she stepped away from behind the pillar she'd been hiding behind. "Everypony okay?"

The others voiced in the affirmative, Aurora still sounding shaken. They all knew it would be too much to hope that that had been enough to end the engagement though, everypony's attention quickly turning to the dust. They could all hear sounds of movement coming from within the cloud, a frustrated growl audible. Aurora felt out with his magic, trying to gauge just how Tantabus was going to approach this. The result froze his blood. He'd made a similar judgement when the battle began and had a good idea of how much strength she'd been using.

As it turned out, she hadn't even been trying yet.

"Twilight...Twilight, talk to me."

Twilight reached for the helmet and lifted it up again, unable to look at it midway through dispelling another ward. Aurora sounded worried though, a tone that left her feeling extremely uneasy.

"I'm here, Aurora. What's happening?"

"It's ah, it's nothing huge. I was just wondering how much longer you think it's going to take?"

"I'm close to done now. There's just a last few measures to go before I can get the amulet out," She told him, doing her best to sound reassuring. "Just hold on a little longer."

"I...I-I Don't know if we can."

Anything more he tried to say was drowned out by the high-pitched scream of intense energy streaking past Aurora. Twilight had to use every last ounce of her self-control to keep her magic from being disrupted and triggering the vault security.

"Too close! Too close! Go left, there's no cover here!!" Aurora called to one of the others before returning his focus to Twilight. "We underestimated how much she'd keep in reserve and quite frankly, it's all falling apart!"

"Okay, stay calm. The others are counting on you." Twilight fought to keep the keep the concern out of her voice as she racked her brain for the best outcome at this point, barely feeling the sweat starting to run down her brow.

"I know. We'll find a way to manage, just like you alw-"

Aurora was cut off by the sound of something smashing against him followed by a loud thud. Then silence.

"Aurora. Aurora, what's happening?" Twilight called, panic starting to well up and threatening her own task despite her best efforts. "...Say something!"

A few quieter sounds, as though he was being moved somewhat. A few more moments of quiet.

"Princess," Bounty's voice came through, slightly faded as though he were talking into the helmet the same way she was. "Aurora's hit but the helmet took the worst of it, looks like he's just stunned. I'll keep him safe until you're done...You were going to help me through the worst, I'll make sure to return the favour."

Twilight dropped her helmet without thinking and redoubled her focus on the vault door. Every second she wasted now put her friends' lives in greater danger and she couldn't help them until the Alicorn Amulet was safe and away. All she could do was hope they could hold on. Just a minute longer.

"You ok?" Bounty asked Aurora, the two of them huddled behind the biggest remaining piece of the fallen pillar.

"They didn't wanna be friends, dad." Aurora replied weakly as he rubbed his head, his battered helmet lying beside him. The force of the hit had actually torn it off his head, leaving the underside of his chin bleeding from where it had been cut up in the process.

"That's okay, just stay lying down until you're not dizzy." Bounty told him calmly while he ducked down more.

They were lucky to still have this part to shelter behind. Tantabus' attacks had intensified a hundredfold in the past minute. Almost all of the eight pillars had been destroyed and significant chunks had been gouged out of the rock walls. Everypony else had spread out across the chamber, moving through the new rubble as cover and fighting with what little they could before it was inevitably destroyed. All except for Starlight, who had resumed her aerial assault and was currently managing to draw most of the incoming fire. At this point though, it wasn't a question of if somepony would run out of luck, but when.

"Tell me you've got something else." Bounty shouted over the carnage, directing it to Trixie as she bunkered down at the wreckage of the next nearest pillar.

"Nothing she won't be ready for." Trixie admitted, cowering down as another beam shot over her position and burned a few feet into the wall. Bounty glanced out to check nothing else was being aimed their way before darting over to her. Aurora still didn't look fit to move under his own power and being on his own would actually put him at less risk right now.

"Well, I might have something that could close the gap a little. My speciality is siphoning magic, from myself to another unicorn to give them a booster. Nopony knows why, probably something to do with the whole magic entity clone thing."

"Err, the what?" Trixie stared at him, dumbfounded enough by that statement to momentarily forget the battle raging around them.

"I'll explain later. Do you think it'll help right now?"

Trixie glanced over the rubble again to check the situation. Sweetie Belle was charging Tantabus from behind, attempting to force a hoof-to-hoof engagement. Tantabus managed to duck away from the first strikes and gripped the unicorn in her magic, launching her up and throwing her at one of the remaining pillars. Starlight managed to use her magic to slow Sweetie down enough to cushion the blow while Rarity fired on Tantabus. The element was giving it her all but the wear of continuous magic drain was starting to take its toll on them all.

"I think so. We need somepony with magic to spare if we're going to buy Twilight time." Trixie answered as she ducked her head back down.

Bounty nodded and closed his eyes, a strong blue aura appearing around his horn. As he focused harder a thin stream of magic flowed from the tip and snaked its way toward Trixie's horn. A second stream did the same moments later, the two moving in sync as they connected to the tip and base. Trixie shuddered slightly as she felt the sudden influx of magic flowing into her, restoring the strength she had used already and more. It felt similar to the power she had wielded with the Alicorn Amulet, only with less soul sucking evil involved. She hoped. Still, there was no denying she felt ready to draw Tantabus' attention and give everypony else vital breathing space.

"Okay, here we go." Trixie told herself, unable to hide the nerves in her voice. With one last look at Bounty, still focused on managing his siphoning, she stepped out and fired a full strength beam at Tantabus. Although her movements in driving Starlight away again meant it missed, it succeeded in drawing her attention.

"Do you ever try to fight face to face?" Tantabus snapped in irritation before firing a deadly beam. Trixie counter fired one of her own, her pink magic tinted with Bounty's blue. The two collided in midair, throwing volatile sparks up that briefly illuminated the whole chamber before the clash ended.

Trixie pressed the attack while she could, rapid firing bolts of magic while stepping back toward her cover. Tantabus managed to bring up a shield again, absorbing the bolts for several seconds before smirking coldly. The shield pulsed brightly and suddenly reflected the magic it had withstood, not toward Trixie but straight at the cover she had been using. The force of her amplified magic kicked up a fresh dust cloud as the barrage tore into the rubble, annihilating everything in its path. Trixie cried out as she felt the connection with Bounty suddenly cut out, all the energy he had lent her being ripped away in a heartbeat. The effect left her reeling, disorientated as she attempted to stagger back to any safe space that might be left.

A fresh charge of magic made her ears fold back, knowing it was aimed at her but unable to tell where from. Just as she heard the discharge, a blur of pink threw itself in front of her. Trixie's focus started to return to her just in time to see Starlight attempt to shield the stricken unicorn. Not with her magic, but her own body. The beam struck her square in the chest and blasted her backward into Twilight's barrier. Trixie managed to get herself behind the stump of a pillar before looking back in shock. Starlight lay where she had fallen with her back to the battle, unmoving and with smoke rising from her front half.

Tantabus coldly laughed at the sight and levelled her horn to finish the job, only to be stopped as her back legs were kicked out from under her. To everypony's surprise, Rarity had charged while she was distracted and was bringing the fight up close and personal like her sister had tried to. Even as Tantabus fell she kept swinging, landing punches and kicks that kept her opponent off balance with their sheer unpredictability. It restricted the ability of the others to help though, as they were too close to use magic on and there was no clear opening to assist in the melee.

"You think you're so clever with your stolen body and barbaric magic," Rarity declared as she kept pummelling away at Tantabus, her channelled anger flooding out through the brutal assault. "Well let's see how much that helps you when I rip you out of there with my bare hooves!"

It was almost impossible to tell which way the fight was going, both ponies struggling to take control and find a place they could gain the advantage from. It would have to come down to which of them was more physically capable. A factor that would quickly decide the outcome. As determined as Rarity was, her body was thirteen years older than Sunset Shimmer's and of the two, was the one no longer in its prime. Tantabus pushed herself away from the duel long enough to teleport back to her hooves. Rarity pushed herself up again turned to follow, the movement bringing her forward...Straight into the freshly reappeared horn.

She didn't even have time to realise before their horns touched and Tantabus fired at point blank range. Trixie and Sweetie Belle could only watch in horror as Rarity was blown skidding along the ground, coming to a halt next to the rubble where Aurora was recovering. She was still breathing but her entire body was convulsing, in too much pain to even make a sound. The cause of which was evident from her horn. Or rather, what was left. A sizeable section from the tip to roughly a third of the way down the front had been shattered, visible cracks running throughout the rest. Before she'd even come to a halt sparks of magic had started to erupt from the wound and arch across her body, the beginnings of an uncontrolled magic surge.

"Sis!" Sweetie cried as she dashed out from her position, keeping to the wall rather than risking herself in the open. Before she could reach Rarity though, Aurora pulled himself out from cover. Still looking unsettled but with his composure returned, he threw up a shield to absorb several follow up beams Tantabus fired at Rarity, telekinetically pulling his saddlebags over to him before teleporting the two of them out of the fight.

Now it was just two against one, odds that were getting worse with every passing moment. Trixie went for the now vacated space behind the rubble, only for it to be broken apart by Tantabus' follow up attacks. By now the intensity of the engagement had destroyed most of what could pass for cover nearby and there was nowhere left to run. Sweetie Belle brought herself to a halt by Trixie and brought her pale green shield back up, the two of them backing toward the barrier. Both were heavily worn down and there was no chance of the shield withstanding any real assault for more than a few seconds.

"So this is what amounts to Equestria's final stand," Tantabus said coldly as she advanced, a silhouette in the dust and darkness as her magic faded. "A sentimental fool with the strength of an infant, and a coward."

Trixie bit back a whimper and took another step backward. The only things she could hear over her own breathing right now were the hum of the shield before her and...Nothing behind her. She chanced a glance backward and realised that the barrier they had been fighting to keep up this whole time had disappeared, its purple glow no longer hanging over them. It hadn't taken many stray hits, nowhere near enough to risk failing. So that could only mean...Tantabus noticed as well, her horn lighting up to reveal her eye was twitching slightly. Without warning her magic coiled around her horn and was launched in an all out beam against the two. Neither of them could move quickly enough to do anything, their vision going white.

As nothing happened to them and the sounds of magic intensified, they realised the blinding flash before them had been of somepony teleporting in. Sweetie Belle dropped her shield and her jaw dropped slightly as well. Twilight Sparkle was standing before them, hooves dug into the damaged floor as her own shield withstood the full force of the attack. Tantabus kept it up for several seconds before letting the beam fade away, narrowing her eyes as she realised the new situation. Her target was gone and even with her considerable magic reserves, the amount used already meant she was at a clear disadvantage against an alicorn. She wordlessly shot a death glare at the trio before teleporting away.

"Twilight!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed as the princess dropped her shield, panting slightly from the effort. Without thinking she ran forward and wrapped her front hooves around Twilight's chest. "Please tell me you did it."

"Yes, the Alicorn Amulet has been hidden beyond Equestria's borders," Twilight replied, gently hugging Sweetie in return before letting her go. "Is everypony okay?"

The words had barely left her mouth before Trixie gasped and ran over to Starlight's body, rolling her onto her back to see just how bad her injuries were. Twilight followed her gaze and tensed up at the sight. Starlight's entire chest had been scorched, fur burned black, multiple burn wounds visible and bleeding freely. She was almost lifeless, her faint breathing the only indication that she was still alive. Moments later Sweetie Belle gave a chocked gasp and dashed past Twilight, drawing the alcorn's attention that way. She already feared what she was going to see this time.

Sweetie was attempting to drag Bounty away from what was left of the rubble he had been sheltered behind. Although there wasn't a mark on him, he was limp and his eyes lay open and unfocused. It only took one look into them to see there was no spark of life left within him. Twilight felt herself going numb as she realised she was too late. They had completed their objective but her friends had paid the ultimate price to protect her. She looked round slowly as she realised that everypony wasn't yet accounted for.

"W...Where's Aurora? Where's Rarity!?"

Chapter 10 - In Body and Spirit

"I-I panicked, okay?" Aurora stammered, holding his head in his hooves as he leaned back against the wall, hyperventilating slightly. "Nothing was coming together, I just I, I had to get her out and the first place that came to mind was here."

"Hey, listen to me, it's fine," Peace Walker told him, her hooves on his shoulders as she tried to look him in the eye. "You were up against a monster in there. Two of them. You did what you had to do."

"Did I? I abandoned the others to do this. Bounty was already gone but how many of the others did I leave to die. Two? Five!? Six if Rarity..."

"Get it together kid," She ordered firmly, but catching herself after a moment and softening her tone. "Look, I know it looks bad. But you did manage to get her to good hooves. Ponies who do know what to do. At least somewhat anyway. As far as panic responses go, you did better than most would have."

Aurora raised his head slightly and looked back over toward the Tree of Harmony. Rarity was still lying where she had since they teleported in. As the only ones present with any real medical knowledge, Zecora and Quick Fix were doing what they could for her. Though considering all they had to work with was his free time learning, whatever she had in her robe and the few supplies Aurora had brought with him, everyone knew it wouldn't be much. Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were watching with concern. Spike was hanging back with Deep Note, both of them looking like they were trying to calm the other down to avoid freaking out themselves.

"Maybe, but I still could have teleported straight to a hospital or something. That's twice in a row I've made such a stupid mistake now." Aurora admitted, shaking his head. He still looked rattled, but sounded slightly reassured. That was probably the best she was going to get out of him right now.

"Well, as long as you don't make it three, nopony will remember." Peace told him before looking back over at Rarity. "At least it's going okay now...Right?"

"We've done all we can, as I hope you can see," Zecora replied, sounding disheartened as well. "But fixing this is simply beyond me."

"Good news, it's not getting any worse at least," Quick added, looking over at Aurora. "You probably did the best possible thing for a horn break on this scale. There was probably no stopping a full magic discharge of some kind, but in this case it went for the strongest focus of magic within reach.

"You mean, my teleportation spell?" Aurora asked cautiously, glancing up at his horn.

"Exactly. Rarity's uncontrolled magic basically powered that spell in this case. Probably part of why you're so jumpy at the moment, you're still adjusting to the energy you thought you'd used."

"So, Rarity's gonna come outta this alright?" Applejack asked hopefully.

"Well at the least, it's not going to be fatal," Quick admitted as he stepped back. "There's always going to be some damage from uncontrolled magic though and the fact she's still unresponsive is...Well, she should probably get checked by somepony with actual medical gear. Aurora?"

Aurora nodded and pushed himself back to his hooves, taking a slow breath to steady himself before trotting over. Rarity looked a lot more peaceful than she had prior to teleporting here, laid out as though she were merely sleeping. The cracks in her horn had been coated with a makeshift mix of crushed leaves that Zecora had been carrying, keeping them protected. Nothing could be done about the shattered section though, thin sparks of blue occasionally emanating from the damaged ends of the magic nerves within.

"Yeah, I'll take her back to Ponyville," He said quietly, looking over at the others. "What about you all though?"

"We'll head straight back. We got what we came for." Fluttershy told him, looking down at the element in her hooves.

Aurora nodded and his horn glowed again before he placed a hoof on Rarity's side and teleported the two of them out. Everypony else remained in place for a moment before passing the elements to Pinkie for safekeeping. There was nothing worth staying for now and they started to make their way out. Spike followed at the very back, taking one last look back. Although his old flame for Rarity had simmered down long ago, seeing her in such a state was hurting more than he cared to admit. He wasn't sure what worried him most, the nagging sensation that she wouldn't be the last casualty of the crisis, or Twilight's reaction when she found out.

Grief. Disbelief and pain, but primarily grief.

Aurora looked down at his hooves as his sensory magic faded. Normally he felt calm when using it, but the emotions around him were overwhelming at present. Seeping into him like water filtered through ice. It didn't help that there was nothing to see outside. Only Ponyville draped in night, rain thundering down the only thing visible from the window next to him. He knew the pegasi had a schedule but still would have preferred if they'd held off until the mood was a little lighter. With nothing out there, all he could do for now was look upon how each of his friends were handling the situation.

Almost everypony had reconvened at Ponyville Hospital, to confirm each other's safety and tend to the wounded. Most of them were still here in the emergency ward waiting room. Applejack had remained stoic after learning of Bounty's death, but it was clear she was taking the loss of a pony she had feelings for very hard. Even now she was sat leaned against Deep Note, hat off and mane unkempt, the pegasus attempting to comfort her as best he could. Fluttershy had briefly returned home to check on her foals but was back now, talking with Pinkie Pie in an effort to pass the time. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had gone to fetch food for everypony. Peace Walker was sat alone by the door, staring at Pinkie with a disgruntled look.

A flash in the middle of the room drew everypony's attention as Twilight teleported in. She looked as though she'd been struggling not to cry even harder than Applejack, her movements tense and a forced smile on her face. On seeing the faces of everypony she slowly walked over to an empty chair and leaned against it, letting the smile fade as she placed a hoof over her eyes.

"Twilight?" Pinkie said softly, looking even more deflated at the sight of her friend so worn down. "It's okay to let it out."

"I'm okay for now. I'm okay." Twilight replied, taking a long, shuddering breath and straightening up again.

"So, it's all done?" Fluttershy asked, fidgeting slightly in her seat..

"It's done. The element of magic is safely with the others at the castle. Spike's making sure they're all secure right now. Quick Fix isn't coming either, said he needed some time alone."

"I'm not surprised. He must have been under a lot of stress after what happened," Peace commented. "I've seen his type in the EDF, they don't adapt well to sudden change."

"He did his best, more than anypony else could have," Twilight admonished her before sighing and turning back toward her friends. "...Have we heard anything more about Rarity?"

"Sweetie Belle is by her bedside right now. She'll let us know when everything is settled," Aurora told her. "Trixie is with Starlight too."

"I almost wonder..." Twilight started before pausing and sucking some air in between her teeth. "No, that line of thought wont help right now."

"You're still doubting her?" Aurora asked cautiously, knowing that she hadn't seen what he had in the heat of the battle.

Before she could reply, the waiting room door opened and Apple Bloom walked in, saddlebags full of food and cider bottles. Scootaloo followed her in, soaking wet, wings waterlogged and mane weighed down over her face. While it was expected with the weather outside, seeing her in such a state did little for everypony's spirits. Twilight quickly lit her horn up, her purple aura covering Scootaloo. After a few moments it lifted the majority of the water off her and carried it over to the window as she quickly opened it and dumped it outside.

"Thanks. That was uncomfortable." Scootaloo said as she flexed her wings out, shaking out what droplets remained on her feathers.

"What happened? I mean it's bad out there but you weren't gone that long." Peace asked as she got up and looked through the bags to see what was available.

"It's worse when you're actively putting yourself in the downpour. We just grabbed some things from my place since it was closer, then I flew above Apple Bloom to shield her from the worst of it."

"Mighty kind of ya." Applejack commented.

For a few minutes the conversation trailed off as everypony got something to eat or drink. While there was less of it going about now, any discussion was more light hearted than it had been before. Something as simple as a quick, fulfilling distraction and the bonds of friendship could work wonders. Even Twilight seemed slightly less worked up as she settled down with the others. Eventually the door to the ward opened and Sweetie Belle stepped in. She looked composed but worn down, somepony who wasn't crying because she had shed all her tears already. The more relaxed atmosphere in the room instantly froze over as everypony saw her. Reality was about to come down on them again.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle." Twilight said gently, standing up since she was the closest. "Are you holding up okay?"

"Well, I just spent hours waiting to learn that my sister is still in a serious condition. So yes, I'm just fine." Sweetie replied flatly. As she finished speaking she brought over a spare bottle of cider in her magic, opened it up and drank the whole thing without stopping.

"Err...Ah don't think that's gonna help." Apple Bloom said as she moved over to her fellow crusader.

"Yeah, even if it's the non-alcoholic kind." Scootaloo added, joining the others as well.

"Oh I know, I was just thirsty." Sweetie sounded a little better as she put the bottle down again, managing a small smile at her friends. "I appreciate it though. So, I'm just going to get the bad news out of the way first."

"Take your time, if you need to." Fluttershy told her, the others nodding and voicing their agreement. Sweetie looked down and rubbed a hoof along the floor for several long seconds before taking a deep breath and looking back up.

"Okay...Although it could have been much worse, Rarity did suffer some brain damage from her magic going wild. She's been left in a coma...With no exact idea when she'll wake up. She's under constant monitoring but, there's not much else anypony can do..."

Sweetie's ears folded back and she looked away sadly, not wanting to continue. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo immediately moved closer to comfort their friend. Twilight remained rooted in place as she took in the news, squeezing her eyes shut. Applejack looked on the brink of tears. Fluttershy gave a quiet whimper as she looked down in shock. Pinkie Pie stared straight at the wall opposite her with a fearful look in her eyes. Peace Walker placed her head on her hooves and shook her head sadly while Deep Note attempted to push his own sadness down and keep supporting AJ.

"So, what's the good news?" Fluttershy eventually managed to ask as she looked back up at the others.

"The good news, is that sis could still wake up," Sweetie said, leaning slightly on Apple Bloom. "The doctors said that her brain could use that same magic to try and repair itself. If it manages to do that, they could try to bring her round. It's nothing but a waiting game but, it's something to keep looking forward to. Hope's all I've got at this point."

Everypony relaxed slightly at that news. Applejack was still fighting back tears but she was managing to smile slightly. Twilight took a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding and opened her eyes again. A sizeable part of her deeply regretted the fact that this was the happiest everypony had been since they had left the castle that afternoon. The knowledge that all the casualties, the death, were on her for bringing everypony into this left the weight of guilt draped over her. At this point, as insignificant as it would be, the least she could do was apologise for what she had wrought.

"I'm sorry if it's too soon but, can we see her?" Twilight asked, straightening herself up. Sweetie Belle did the same and nodded.

"You're all free to if you feel up to it. I'd, like to go with just Twilight first though. There's something I need to show her while we're there."

Twilight looked round at the others curiously, each of them wondering what it was about too. Now wasn't the time to press for answers though. She simply nodded and followed Sweetie through to the emergency ward. It was quiet inside, with only three of the two dozen beds occupied. Starlight Glimmer was visible at the far end of the room, her upper torso covered in bandages and Trixie by her bed. Another bed partway down was occupied by a silver stallion, but Twilight's attention was on the closest bed just to her right. Even laid out in a hospital bed, hooked up to life support machinery, Rarity looked as composed as ever. Seeing it for the first time, discovering just how serious it was, hurt Twilight more than she could remember for decades. On top of that, there was the knowledge of how much it would affect her when she woke up. This wasn't like past incidents where Rarity's magic had been stunted by some outside influence. She was going to be permanently affected by the damage. If she woke up from it.

"Hi, Rarity," Twilight said quietly as she moved up to the bedside. It felt a little weird to be talking like this, but all her research on subconscious indicated she could be heard. Hopefully it was all right. "I...I don't really know what to say, other than I'm sorry. I underestimated the danger again and this time it made you all pay the price. I don't expect you to forgive me but, I promise you, and everypony else, it won't be for nothing."

"We'll all make sure of it," Sweetie Belle added. "I'll step up and help find a way to save Equestria...Just like you always did."

It may have been Twilight's imagination, or a trick of the dimmed light, but she could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile on Rarity's lips. It was enough to boost the princess' spirit again, for now at least. She placed her hoof on Rarity's and gave it a small squeeze, holding the moment for several long seconds.

"I'll keep you updated on how things go. Just focus on getting better, old friend," She finally said, letting go and looking back over at Sweetie Belle. "I can't even imagine what you must be going through right now."

"I think, that most everypony here has an idea," Sweetie replied, straightening up. "But we've still got each other, and that's enough to keep me going for now."

"That's a mature way to look at it," Twilight commented. A small part of her still found it hard to remember Sweetie Belle wasn't the small, energetic filly she had once tutored, despite the fact they were almost the same height now. "So is this what you wanted to show me?"

"Hmm? Oh, no," Sweetie looked back down the ward, over toward Starlight's bed. "Just, listen for a moment."

Twilight looked at her in confusion but did so, ears twitching as they tried to pick up anything new. While the sound of the heartbeat monitor attached to Rarity made it hard to hear anything else going on in the ward, with some extra focus she could make out the conversation going on between the two unicorns.

"I've made up my mind," Starlight was saying, sounding weary even for her standards. "Soon as I can, I'm going back to Canterlot and turning myself in. I don't have a place here."

"Wh...Why?" Trixie was pacing slightly, looking shaken as well. "We all saw how hard you were trying today. Aurora trusts you, I'm sure Sweetie Belle does too and you put your life on the line to save me. If you were still a bad pony, I really don't think you'd do that."

"If I wasn't a bad pony anymore, the wrong pony wouldn't have died back there."

"Maybe, but I've been there and-" Trixie paused in her pacing and looked back in dawning surprise. "The...Wrong one?"

"Trixie, don't you get it?" Starlight sighed as she leaned back, looking over at a window and staring into the rainy darkness outside. "For every pony who actually thinks I've changed, there are hundreds who think I haven't and even more who think I never will. As I am, as long as I'm alive, ponies will see me as a danger to Equestria, an irredeemable monster. I could have stopped Sunset right there and ponies still wouldn't trust me. That's why I did what I had to, what would have actually made a difference if it had worked."

From her position, Twilight's expression softened. Even without Aurora's ability to sense emotion, she could tell that every word was genuine. From the look on Sweetie's face, this was the gist of why she had wanted Twilight to come, but even she hadn't expected to hear this. Both of them thought about what had been said in the moment of quiet, how Starlight had been throwing herself into the battle ahead of everypony, and the realisation hit them just before Trixie said it.

"Starlight...You were trying to get yourself killed out there?"

"If I died against a greater threat, trying to save the rest of you, I thought it might convince a few ponies that I really have changed. Even if it didn't, it wouldn't have mattered anymore." Starlight admitted, hunching in on herself only to wince as she compacted her wounds. The angle she was at gave Twilight a look at her eyes. They were empty of emotion, a window into the soul of a broken mare.

"But the mere fact you want to help says so much. Spike trusts you too and...Well that whole thing with Peace Walker was something of an extreme case."

"Princess Twilight doesn't trust me though. The look she was giving me back at the castle, I used it so many times in the past. The look of a pony who's already made up their mind and has no intention of changing it. At this point, my options are to give myself up again and have my darkness be contained, get lucky and stop Sunset Shimmer, or die trying."

Twilight froze up as she listened. The more she had heard, both about the events at the vault and right here, the more she had realised that Starlight Glimmer really had changed over the past few years. The idea of a decent or reformed pony viewing the Princess of Friendship as a figure of fear struck her at her very core. Without thinking she moved forward, knowing that she had to say something, anything to ease those fears. The feeling of a hoof on her shoulder snapped her back to reality and she looked round to see it was Sweetie Belle who had stopped her.

"There'll be a chance to try and help her," She said gently. "But right now, I think what she needs more than anything is somepony she trusts to let it all out on."

Twilight nodded, looking over at Trixie. As uncomfortable as she looked from all this, there was a glint of understanding in her eyes. There was a good chance she had gone through similar experiences after being shown up and wielding the Alicorn Amulet. Leaving the two to air their troubles to each other was probably a better course than marching up to a pony that was seriously injured and scared of her. For now, she simply gave one last look back at Rarity and moved to head for the exit. Everypony else would probably want to see Rarity as well and she was feeling an overwhelming need to rest.

Chapter 11 - Nightmare Fuel

By the time she was able to return to the castle, exhaustion had begun to really wear Twilight down. The drain on her magic from undoing so many protective wards followed by teleporting all over Equestria was a major contributor, but the emotional stress was gnawing away at what stamina remained. She could understand why Quick Fix had chosen to try and calm down on his own after today's events. She would probably need to do the same tomorrow. It wouldn't help anypony if she remained worked up and with clouded judgement. Teleporting into the foyer to avoid the rain, she staggered slightly and shook her head, realising her vision was starting to blur slightly.

"Spike? I'm back!" She called, hoping he was somewhere he could hear her. "If nothing important has come up I'm going to bed."

"Okay, I'll be finishing up soon." Spike's voice came from somewhere down the hallways. Decades of living here had taught him how to make his voice heard from almost anywhere inside. Twilight nodded to herself and headed toward her room, trying not to look at her surroundings too much. Just nine hours ago everypony here had been raring to go, ready to do their part in buying Equestria a vital line of defence against Tantabus. Now...Now she couldn't bring herself to think about what had happened.

The walk was a long and quiet one, the echoing clack of her hooves on any uncovered flooring and the dull thuds of rain against windows the only things breaking the silence. By the time she reached the door she was effectively shut down inside her own head, too tired to focus on anything, her movements as if on autopilot. She pushed the door open and paused for several seconds, head drooping slowly. Just before she could drop off entirely she jerked herself back upright, shaking slightly to try and stave off the inevitable approach of sleep.

"It's okay, Twilight. You'll feel better soon," She mumbled to herself, focusing on her bed and moving forward again. "Just a dozen feet. Hooves. And then..."

Twilight made it partway there before she blinked slowly, still trying to focus on what was directly ahead. When her eyes opened again she stopped in place. The familiar sight of her bedroom had vanished into darkness. The smell of lavender and antique books were gone and her nostrils were filled by the sickening scent of blood. Her eyes adjusted to the dark on the next blink, the sight before them making her freeze up completely.

She was standing before the vault where the Alicorn Amulet had been hidden again. This time though, the stone door had been smashed open, broken stone scattered about her hooves and the door itself little more than a step. The small, ornate case that the amulet had been hidden in was gone too. Twilight paused at the sight, trying to figure out what she was seeing. She had taken the case with her when retrieving the amulet, but her barrier had remained up until the moment she left. There was no way for damage like this to have occurred during the battle earlier. She turned to see if there were any further hints behind her, only to gasp and run out into the chamber.

She wanted to scream, but no voice in Equestria could convey the horror piercing her soul.

The chamber was as battle-scarred as it had been when she had last seen it. The key difference lay before her; where there had been a unicorn's body before, there were now six. Bounty was still lying where he had fallen, even though Twilight had made sure to bring his body back to Ponyville. To his left were Rarity and Sweetie Belle, the former overwhelmed by her broken horn and unchecked magic, the latter covered in burn marks from close-range magic attacks. To the right, Aurora was slumped against the remains of a pillar with a number of serious cuts across his body. Just in front of her were Trixie and Starlight Glimmer, both of sporting serious burns as well as the wound suffered by the latter. Seeing it like this, it was a minor miracle that Starlight's chest was still in one piece.

Twilight remained rooted in place at the sight. There was no way this could be real, but pure shock was overruling her mind right now and she couldn't think. She could barely even process what she was seeing. Everypony present had some form of bond with her: Her nephew, her close friend of over twenty years, a former student, former rival, former foe and a copy of her brother. Losing even one of them would have been enough to break her heart on their own. All six at once was enough to start breaking her usually resolute will, crushing it under the weight of grief and guilt.

"Twilight..."

That was Rarity's voice, but it was coming from in front of her. Twilight looked down slightly and realised that Starlight's side was rising and falling slowly. She quickly moved round to the front of the stricken unicorn and saw that she was still alive. Her breaths were forced though, her eyes unfocused as if fighting to keep what little life remained in them. On realising somepony was there, Starlight glanced up and focused on Twilight.

"We couldn't stop her..." She said weakly, Rarity's voice coming out of her mouth. The sight made Twilight recoil slightly, but she was still unprepared for what came next. "Sunset is too powerful for any of us."

This time it was Aurora's voice.

"No...No." Twilight whimpered, looking over at Aurora's lifeless body as she struggled to comprehend everything that was happening. She might have been able to have some mental defences prepared on a normal day. Enough to realise that this wasn't real, that it meant nothing. After everything that had happened, seeing her fears in the flesh, it was just too much to cope with right now.

"I'm sorry," Starlight continued, her voice back to normal at last. "I, didn't want to...Be alone anymore. All I did, all I hurt...I deserve worse."

"It...It isn't..." Twilight started to say. Her reply trailed off as she realised that Starlight had stopped focusing on her. She wouldn't be able to hear a response now. "...I should have tried harder all those years ago. I'm sorry too."

Her vision blurred slightly and she realised that hot tears were starting to run down her cheeks. She bowed her head and squeezed her eyes shut, doing her best to avoid being overwhelmed by the sudden rush of emotion. Past memories of her time-travelling battle with Starlight were forcing their way up again and it took all of Twilight's remaining control to hold them down. Despite her chest feeling fit to burst from the stress piling up, she managed to subdue it and start to calm herself again. Then she realised that it wasn't just her tears that felt warm to her. Her body felt warm, the air itself was heating up around her. She opened her eyes again and realised that Starlight had gone. The chamber had vanished too, the ground below her now a gravel pathway.

She was almost scared to look up.

She was back in Ponyville, in the streets near the castle. It seemed to be night time, though it was hard to tell when she realised just what was happening.

The night skies were blanketed with smoke, at least a dozen plumes rising to join the cloud hovering over the town. The underside of the smoke, the streets, everything was bathed in the unmistakable glow of flames. Twilight span in place and saw that many of the houses around her were damaged, one engulfed by fire and adding to the gathering haze. There was no sound though, beyond the faint blowing of the wind. She could still feel though, the heat against her fur, the dread holding her entire body in its grip. She could tell that she was waiting for something to happen. But what?

Her gaze turned back toward her castle, the one building that seemed to be untouched in the devastation around her. The sudden whine of magic building up filled her ears out of nowhere and before she could react, a concentrated beam shot out of her horn. It wasn't her usual light purple, but teal, blue and black. Tantabus' current colours. Twilight had just enough time to realise the aim that she had unwittingly taken before the beam struck the castle and exploded, chunks of stone and crystal being torn away and thrown through the air. Many landed within Ponyville, the clouds of dirt and debris visible even from her position.

She barely had time to process the sight before breaking into a run, all the tension in her body dissipating into energy. The world had sprung back into life around her, her ears filled with the sounds of fire and distressed ponies. Figures were visible in her peripheral vision, little more than shadows even with how bright it was. They weren't real, just a trick of the mind caused by stress. They had to be. Twilight looked up to see debris falling toward her and took off to avoid them, spinning around a boulder larger than she was. Now that she was in the air she could see the full extent of the damage. A trail of destruction had been cut from the south end of town through to town hall, where one of the main fires currently raged. There were no ponies in sight though, no signs that anypony was even here. Her focus turned back to the castle and she realised that that wasn't entirely true. There was one pony, lying amidst the wreckage. The only thing visible through the smoke engulfing the castle.

Twilight headed toward them at full speed, hoping against hope that this time she would be fast enough. She landed at a run and covered the last few feet in a second. The hellish glow of the flames above perfectly illuminated the scene at the foot of the castle, adding to the fear rising in her soul again. It was Pinkie Pie. She looked extremely battered, like she'd been caught in the explosion and fallen from one of the higher level. Twilight's heart stopped as she realised that for all her friend's unnatural durability, even she couldn't have survived something like that. Sure enough, Pinkie was unmoving, not breathing...No pulse. She was gone too.

Twilight stared for several seconds, her whole body going numb as a small memory wormed its way back to the front of her mind. Shortly after her ascension and settling into her role as the Princess of Friendship, Princess Celestia had confided in her that the dreams of an alicorn had the potential to be prophetic in nature. Was she seeing the future now? That she was destined to come through this crisis without all her friends? With her home, the beacon of friendship and hope for Equestria, reduced to ash? She had been trying to keep the thought locked deep down where it couldn't influence her, but faced openly with the possibility...The locks in her mind shattered simultaneously and all the strength of will she had built up dissipated, the fears flooding over her again.

And she was drowning.

Twilight backed up slowly, desperately trying to think of something she could do to keep herself from succumbing to despair. She couldn't bear to keep staring at the body, yet she found herself unable to tear her eyes away. She just kept going backward until her flank hit a wooden wall. Normally that would have just made her stop, but she could feel something dripping onto her back too. She looked round quickly and chocked back a gasp, realising that it was the wall of a house behind her and that it was fresh blood, darkening the fur of her back even against the orange glow. For the briefest of moments, she was faintly reminded of the darkened scales on Spike's back, a grim memento of his efforts to protect her from Ortasin. Then she looked up.

The wall was the side of one of the houses recently built at the foot of the castle. There was a trail of blood running down it that led to a pony, pinned against the wall and draped in shadow despite the light. The mane was unmistakeable though; It was Rainbow Dash. Twilight quickly flapped up and examined her friend, holding her head in her hooves. She was unresponsive as well, her head dropping the instant it was unrestrained. Twilight moved her hooves into the shadows, trying to find some way to free her. There was nothing she could feel that was pinning her hooves back, or her body. She couldn't feel her wings though, not even the metal bionics. Twilight pulled her hooves back from where they had been and saw that they were drenched in blood. She fought the urge to vomit, dropping a few inches as she tried to think of an alternate reason. She knew that she couldn't though, and that if there were such wounds back there, nopony suffering from them would last long before bleeding out.

How many of her friends had to die before she could stop the nightmare?

Twilight felt the tears welling up again as she landed, her mental and emotional defences being eroded mercilessly. Before she even had time to process what she was feeling, a rattling gasp filled her ears. She swung round to see where it was coming from, but there was still nopony there. Then she heard it again. A stray fire spread onto a nearby house, lighting the streets further and illuminating the source of the noise. She knew she should have been prepared for the worst, yet the sight still caught her out.

Fluttershy was staggering toward her, clutching her throat with a hoof. On seeing Twilight she stopped and opened her mouth, seemingly attempting to call to her. Nothing but an echoing rasp came out, a strangled cry for help. As she took another step forward, Twilight noticed a thin trickle of red leaking from behind the hoof at her throat before she stumbled forward. Fluttershy raised her other hoof forward as her body trembled. A final, unheard plea. Twilight ran forward, reaching a bloodstained hoof out to try and reach her friend, to be there for her if nothing else. She covered the gap in a heartbeat and wrapped her hoof around the outstretched one. Fluttershy had enough time to look into her friend's eyes before tensing up. Her hoofgrip slipped and she slumped over into Twilight's hooves.

"Please...Not another..." Twilight pleaded quietly, holding Fluttershy as if both their lives depended on it. The tears started to flow freely as she looked upon the pegasus, desperately praying for the impossible. A pair of fresh puncture wounds were visible on both sides of Fluttershy's neck, something had hit hard enough to go clean through. The amount of bleeding such a wound would cause had killed her even faster than it had for Rainbow. All restraint was lost in that moment and Twilight screamed into the night. A voice of despair for every pony that no longer had one of their own.

Her body lurched forward suddenly and she realised that Fluttershy's body had vanished from in front of her. She fell against the gravel pathway and lay there, unable to bring herself to move. She had been here before, the darkness in her mind preying upon grief and defeat, leaving her lost with no apparent way out. This wasn't just a case of a pony that had been beyond her ability to help though. Four of the ponies that meant as much to her as Equestria itself were gone, the thought that it was her fault consuming her. She could barely even bring herself to look up again at another cry from ahead. She had a good idea of what it would be this time. And who.

Sure enough, Applejack backed into view from around a corner moments later. She was struggling to stand, her coat marred by scuffs and tears, bulky muscles bruised in key spots. She glanced aside and hesitated, a look of grim determination etched onto her face at the sight of Twilight. She turned to face what unseen threat she had been facing before, only to be engulfed by a massive beam of that same teal, black and blue energy that tore into the buildings behind her. When it faded, nothing that had been in its path remained. Not even ashes.

That was it. They were all gone. Twilight lowered her head again as a dry chuckle emanated from the spot where Applejack had died. If this were the moment she had arrived in this nightmare, she knew she would have had the spirit to fight back and avenge her friend. All five though, that was more than she could ever hope to bear. She didn't look up as she heard Tantabus approach, knowing she was ready to make it six. She was just...She couldn't do it anymore. Princess Celestia was more than capable enough of finishing the job without her. She always had been, only hanging back to give the Elements of Harmony a chance...She could hear the whispers of her friend's voices in her head, calling her name. As an amber furred hoof came down in front of her, close enough to be hit by the dirt it kicked up, she waited. She was ready to join them. Anything to make the pain stop.

Then another cry rang out from behind her, one filled with determination, and fury.

That...Wasn't any of them. That wasn't even a pony's voice.

She saw Tantabus' hooves back away from her quickly before a bipedal figure landed in the space between them. Twilight slowly rolled onto her back, trying to get a better view of them. Roughly twice as tall as she was, a spade shaped tail and a row of spikes running up their back. Everything else was obscured by an ethereal moonlight glow that emanated from them, as if the figure was Luna's light given shape.

"I won't let you harm her." The figure growled as they towered over their opponent, their masculine voice the only other indicator to their identity. Tantabus replied by firing straight at his stomach. Her magic flared against them but left no mark when it faded.

The figure dropped down to all fours and launched himself at the unicorn in response, gripping a hand around her neck. With the momentum built up he span round and threw her into an abandoned building, the force of her impact collapsing it on top of her. Without missing a step he rushed back over to Twilight and placed a hoof under her neck, watching her with pure concern as she weakly lay there, barely able to function. The figure then spoke to her, his voice becoming more familiar with each word.

"Twilight. It's okay, just look at me. Focus on me. Twilight!"

Twilight's whole body jerked as her eyes shot open. They had been open before though, hadn't they? The world came back into focus around her and she realised that the heat and light had vanished. Spike was still standing over her, panting slightly. Her eyes rapidly darted around and she realised she was on her back...Still in her unlit bedroom. Everything was untouched, undamaged. Just as it always had been.

"S...They...." She started, so many questions running through her mind she didn't know what to lead with. The all-encompassing emotions that had been destroying her had mostly vanished, yet she was still on the verge of tears.

"Easy, Twilight. Everypony's okay," Spike told her gently, placing his hands behind her neck and back before lifting her up into a sitting position. "Ponyville isn't destroyed. The castle is fine. Everypony is still alive. You fell asleep before reaching the bed and went straight into a terrible nightmare."

Twilight whimpered quietly at the still fresh memories, pressing against Spike's chest like a frightened foal. Sensing she needed proper reassurance, the dragon lifted her up onto his back and padded over to the window. The view outside was serene, clearing skies bathing Ponyville in the silent embrace of the night. Under the light of the moon it looked perfect, calm, unblemished by the horrors she had witnessed. The view doused the worst of the remaining fears in Twilight's mind, her heart rate finally dropping back to normal as she took several deep breaths. At long last her more logical side was able to come back into control and she knew he was right. Nothing had changed as quickly as that, everypony was still ready to stand beside her.

"I was. I was trapped until something showed up..." She commented quietly, her voice still shaky but with strength forming behind it again. "Wait...How did you know about what I saw?"

For a few moments the room was silent. Twilight had known Spike long enough to know when he was thinking about how to word an incoming confession and took the moment to simply breathe. She could feel him keeping still underneath her, trying to help her relax with just his presence. It was working though, the knowledge that he was there driving away the last of her doubts. She lay there, taking in the view until he lifted his head back to look at her.

"Well, I've always had some alicorn magic in me for sending scrolls," He started, looking out over Ponyville with her. "After the time travel incident with Starlight Glimmer, Princess Luna infused me with a little more and taught me how to dreamwalk like she does. We all wanted to make sure you could at least sleep well while you recovered and I, kinda just kept going afterwards."

Twilight paused as she realised the implications. For years she'd rarely had so much as a bad dream, always attributing it to Princess Luna's vigilance in safeguarding the night. Her faithful assistant had been the one watching over her all along. Without thinking she wrapped her front hooves around his chest and hugged him in thanks. He craned his neck further to watch and smiled warmly in response.

"Thank you, for saving me from myself." She said quietly, feeling herself start to drift back toward sleep. Deep in her heart though, she knew that she was extremely lucky to have him. It was likely no other pony in Equestria had such defences without Luna there to control the dream realm. They would be helpless against the manifestations of their worst thoughts, thoughts that would become much more common the longer this went on.

Another reason she had to find a way to separate Tantabus from Sunset. Before her dream came true...

Author's Note

I can't pretend that chapters like this are easy to write and for what it's worth, I don't take any joy in subjecting them to this either. Sometimes the story has to go places though...

Chapter 13 - The Line of Fire

October 26th

The tranquillity of the dawn was shattered as a beam of concentrated magic tore through the jungle. Anything in its path was reduced to ash and many trees at the edge of the blast caught fire from the heat and energy. After roughly a kilometre the strength of the magic faded and the attack petered out, leaving a charred trench in its wake, fifteen feet wide. The only living thing left was a lone unicorn, smirking to herself as she stood where the devastation had begun.

"I have to admit, this body never ceases to surprise me," Tantabus chuckled to herself, watching the fires start to spread. "It withstood damage that would cripple any reject, though that's mostly thanks to me. Now it retains its strength rapidly. Had you been born a proper alicorn, you could have been an elite of the true order. Maybe even surpassed the emperor."

She stood and waited, frowning slightly as that comment got no reply. Normally Sunset chimed in with some whiny little attempt to counter her words, despite being reduced to nothing more than an annoying voice in her head. The wastrel seemed to be totally out of it right now though. Then again, the healing process had taken a lot out of her. It had been necessary though, Tantabus couldn't be expected to deal with all that pain herself. Not when she had already suffered multiple major setbacks.

Being found wasn't a concern. These southern jungles were technically beyond Equestria's borders and no sane being of this weak era would look for her in such a dangerous region. That had allowed her to lay low and recover from the engagement at the vault, the intricacy of alicorn healing leaving her without a scratch. Exactly how she was supposed to proceed in such a way that guaranteed her inevitable victory over a pack of vermin however, now that had been much more troublesome. The alicorn amulet had been snatched away from under her nose, which would either see it hidden again or potentially utilised against her. Vaeac may have been refusing to leave her sister's side and join the fight, but a sufficiently powerful defect wearing the amulet could still give her trouble.

An even greater issue than that was the Tomb of the Gods. She had been able to track it down again by following the sheer power to a region in the frozen wasteland of the far north. But there was still no way inside with this pathetic body and her best chance at circumventing that had gone with the amulet. As if that weren't bad enough, her failure had allowed the Elements of Harmony to recover their relics without trouble. While her strength was stagnating, that of her enemies was only getting stronger. She needed to either find an alternate way into the tomb and regain the power that was rightly hers, or minimise the opposition until she could find such an opening. The latter option was the more likely right now. With how much she had heard while trapped in Nezzari's mind and the extra knowledge gained from Sunset, there had to be some way to cripple any resistance. Either physically or...

Tantabus smirked to herself as a germ of an idea came to her. One that would deal with all her problems at once. Almost all if Sunset attempted to interfere. She looked back to the burning trench she had created and her grin only grew wider, her eyes opening slightly more to take in the flames.

"As this forest burns, so too will your hearts," She said firmly, almost sounding happy at the prospect of what she had coming. As she turned to go and prepare she glanced up at the sun. "I will say, dear 'sister'. The destruction your light creates looks beautiful under my night. But I'm sure you'll see that soon."

Sweetie Belle shivered slightly as she made her way through the corridors of Ponyville Hospital, her pace as brisk as the early morning air. It wasn't that she wanted to rush her visit, but she was on the clock today. She'd barely checked in at reception before being told that better medical options had become available for Rarity and as her closest and fittest minded family, the decision to take the opportunity fell to her. It had been a relatively quick call, now she just had to break the news.

The emergency ward was a little warmer, yet even quieter. The stallion that had been there had either been discharged or moved elsewhere, leaving just the two occupied beds. Starlight was up and on her hooves, staring out of a window at the far end of the ward. She was mobile, but still heavily bandaged up around her front. On hearing Sweetie come in she looked over and stared at her, wincing from just that movement. Sweetie smiled weakly and nodded to her before turning to Rarity. The comatose unicorn was laid in the exact same position as the last time Sweetie had visited.

"Is everything alright outside?" Starlight asked through gritted teeth as she walked back over to her bed. It was clear that any movement was still painful to her, which likely explained why she was doing it.

"We're all good. It's been very quiet for the last few days. A lull before the next storm," Sweetie told her, pausing as a thought came to her. "Has, nopony been by to tell you?"

"Trixie's been visiting me when she can. But in general, no."

Sweetie shot her a sympathetic look, knowing that she deserved better. Both from everypony else and her own dark thoughts. She silently decided to hang around a little longer and give Starlight some company once she was done. For now she turned her attention back to Rarity, resting her front hooves on the bed and looking down at her peaceful face. The stark contrast between her look of nothing being wrong and her broken horn was enough to shake the young mare again, though she stayed strong this time.

"Hey, sis. Are you doing alright in here?" She said softly, managing another small smile. "I bet all that organisation you love is helping out now. Laying everything out so you know how to fix it. You'll be getting some help soon though...I took an offer for you to be moved to a hospital in Canterlot. They have the best doctors for your kinds of injuries, it's safer than Ponyville at the moment, and it'll be a lot easier for mom to come see you too. I'll make sure to visit regularly, but I'll also be sure to help deal with Tantabus before you wake up. Just rest up, you'll be getting the train this afternoon. I'll...I'll keep everypony going in the meantime."

Sweetie bowed her head as she gripped Rarity's hoof gently, fighting back the urge to cry again. She'd always seen herself as the emotional weak link among her friends, having the worst reactions to everything from changeling attacks to being caught in the rain. This was different though. Ponies were counting on her these days, she would do anything to bring them through to the other side. She wouldn't fall behind anymore either. The vault had been a baptism of fire and she'd come through by the skin of her teeth. From now on she was going to give even more than that. Remind herself and the others just why she had almost become Twilight's student.

"Huh, that's two of us." Starlight commented, drawing Sweetie Belle's attention as she stood back up.

"Two of what?"

"I'm being moved to Canterlot as well. Not my first choice but Princess Twilight requested it. Apparently she wants the best healing magic in Equestria for me, see if I can come out of this with my chest being held together by more than bandages."

Starlight looked set to continue speaking, only to cover her muzzle as she broke into a coughing fit. It lasted long enough for Sweetie to make her way over to her, watching with concern. Starlight was quick to move the leg she'd been using back under the sheets, but not quickly enough to avoid it being seen. Where she'd been covering her mouth, her pink fur had been stained a worrying shade of red. The glimpse was a fresh reminder of how much she had suffered, was still suffering. All because she didn't believe anypony would allow her to let go of a mistake. That just felt wrong.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll keep an eye on Rarity," Starlight continued once she was fit to talk again, seemingly misunderstanding Sweetie's expression. "If any trouble ends up coming to Canterlot, I'll make sure it has to go through me before anything happens to her."

Even now she was trying to help. There wasn't much that could be done in return, but sometimes one small thing was all that was needed.

"Thank you." Sweetie replied, smiling warmly. To her surprise, Starlight hesitated for a few moments before looking up at her in a mix of confusion and shock.

"...For what?"

"Well, for still wanting to look out for others, even with how badly hurt you are. For wanting to help Twilight out, no matter your history. For showing that despite thinking the world is against you, you still have a good heart and a desire to protect others. I'd say any one of those would be worth thanks on their own."

"You, meant it," Starlight looked down, awkwardly tapping her hooves together and leaning back against her pillow more. She looked similar to after she had been struck by Peace Walker, timid and lost. When she looked up again though, there was a glint of understanding in her eyes. "You both did."

"Both?" Sweetie asked. She wasn't sure where this was going but if it meant Starlight was feeling a little better, then she'd roll with it.

"With everything that I've done, that happened to me, nopony has genuinely thanked me for anything in about twenty-five years. But when I woke up here and realised I was still alive, the first thing I heard was Trixie saying those same words to me. I was in too dark a place to realise at the time but..."

"It's okay. You've been going through as much as any of us."

Starlight nodded and looked over at Sweetie again. For the first time since she had joined up, she was smiling. It was a small, weak little thing, but it was completely real. Sweetie could tell that she had found an opening to help the stricken unicorn through her doubts and self-loathing, sitting herself down next to the bed. She may not have been strong enough to help when it truly mattered, but if she could still make a difference for the better, no matter how small, it would be worth it.

"There you are." A voice came from the door to the ward. Sweetie Belle looked over toward it and saw that it was Scootaloo standing there. The pegasus was looking a little surprised at seeing her talking to Starlight but didn't comment as she stepped closer.

"Oh, hi Scootaloo. What's up?" Sweetie asked, moving round to the end of the bed.

"Pinkie's throwing a party at Twilight's castle. A little welcome back gig for Rainbow Dash. You coming?"

"I..." Sweetie hesitated, looking over at Starlight. She had looked away and pulled her covers up to her neck, looking crestfallen.

"Go ahead." Starlight said quietly, grunting slightly as she rolled onto her side. The sight was enough to make Sweetie's heart ache. She'd already made her decision before she even thought about it.

"I'll be by later," Sweetie told Scootaloo as she moved back round to Starlight's side. "I've got another friend who needs help right now."

Starlight looked up at her in shock, as if she could scarcely comprehend what she was hearing. She looked back over her shoulder toward Scootaloo, clearly anticipating such a ludicrous suggestion to be shot down in flames. Instead, she was standing there with an understanding look on her face.

"You're a better mare than many of us," Scootaloo commented after a moment. "I'll make sure Pinkie saves you some cake."

"Save us two bits," Sweetie replied with a smile, waving her friend off. Once it was just the two of them again she looked down at Starlight, raising a hoof to cut off her incoming comment. "That wasn't a sympathy thing either. You saved a friend of mine. Far as I'm concerned, that makes us friends."

Starlight stared up at her, looking lost over everything that had just happened. That glint in her eyes was still there though, a faint understanding of why this was being done for her. After a minute she slowly relaxed again and sat back up again.

"Thank you." She said simply. The significance hung between both of them for a moment before Sweetie smiled back and nodded. Starlight looked as though she wanted to keep talking, let out a lot of baggage she had refused to discuss with anypony for many years. She already knew that she would stay and listen for as long as it took. If Starlight was moved to Canterlot before they could finish, she would simply continue listening there.

Twilight smiled to herself as she leaned back in her seat. Back when she had first taken up residence in the castle, she would have been rather unimpressed if Pinkie had suggested using the map room for a party. Today though, she was satisfied that it offered enough space for everypony and there was more than enough reason to celebrate. Even as she thought about it, she ducked her head to avoid being clipped by a metal wingtip.

"Sorry Twi!" Rainbow Dash called back to her as she pulled back round and checked she hadn't hurt her friend.

"It's fine. I'm just glad to see you back to normal." She replied, smiling more as the pegasus took off again.

Nopony had expected Rainbow to be on the first train back to Ponyville this morning, but she had a talent for constantly pushing the boundaries of what seemed impossible. Although she still seemed to be nursing through the last traces of her wounds, it was clear that they weren't slowing her down anymore. Her new wings were letting her handle slow speed flight as well as her old ones and had even been painted to match. Cyan with a light gold trim, wings that would look perfect if she ever returned to the Wonderbolts. She had been quick to admit that she would likely have still been grounded without Fluttershy and Scootaloo's help, not that had done anything to dampen everypony's spirits. Pinkie had been quick to set up a party for the occasion and the group had taken the opportunity to unwind with both hooves. Sweetie Belle was the only one who hadn't turned up, though nopony minded her electing to spend time with a pony that needed her right now.

Twilight smiled more as she watched Rainbow carefully navigating through the memory gems dangling from the root chandelier before looking round at the others. Spike and Applejack were attempting to finish a barrel of cider between them. Apple Bloom, Trixie and Peace Walker were using the map to go over all the places they'd been between them. Fluttershy had brought her family along and was teaching her son, Mist Chaser, a basic dance. Her husband Silent Breeze was off to the side with the infant Star Glider, Scootaloo and Trixie keeping them company for now. Quick Fix was talking to Deep Note, the two of them wrapped up in a discussion about flight teams. Pinkie Pie was...Being Pinkie Pie, pinging from group to group and making sure everypony was enjoying themselves.

For the first time in weeks, possibly months, Twilight could simply sit in place and relax slightly. Seeing everypony happy and together, that was what she strived for above all. She had an extra surprise to boost everypony's spirits for later too. Her studies through the restricted section of both the Canterlot library and the royal archives had produced results. While it had its foundation in highly dangerous soul magic, with some work she could form it into a new spell. One that could both separate Tantabus from Sunset and return her to Luna in one fell swoop. She still needed to find a way to do it without the separation killing Sunset, but between her and Princess Celestia, she was confident of finding a quick solution to that.

That just left the issue of subduing Tantabus. Wherever she was.

"Twilight." Aurora's voice came from the door, snapping her out of her thoughts. He'd left for a bathroom break ten minutes ago but she hadn't paid mind to how long it had taken him to return.

"What's wrong?" She asked as he came over, looking like he was trying hard to remain composed.

"Sorry if this spoils the mood, but I've been doing some thinking," He told her in a low whisper, glancing around like he was scared of being heard over the music. "About what's going to happen next."

"What do you mean?"

"Princess Celestia gave me access to her records of Tantabus' actions during the Lunar Rift, hoping I could spot a pattern that might predict her actions. I've gone through it all and I'm pretty sure I found one."

Twilight's heart sank slightly as she heard that. It looked like they were going back into action all too soon. She quickly pushed the feeling down and focused on the moment again, seeing Aurora was looking increasingly agitated.

"Okay. Take a moment before you tell me, use your magic." She told him, watching as his horn lit up and his eyes paled. As she'd hoped, he smiled slightly at the feeling of so much pleasantry around him before letting it fade.

"Thanks, I needed that," He said after a few seconds, sounding back to normal. "Anyway, I ran the strategies she'd most likely take through my head and figured she would go after something that isn't strong enough to resist her yet. Using it, and her overwhelming power, to break our spirits."

"What does that mean exactly?" Twilight asked, having a very bad feeling about where this was going. Aurora slowly inhaled and looked round the gathering before fixing her with a gaze so determined, she wouldn't need to ask if he was sure.

"...She's going to attack Ponyville itself."

Twilight only took long enough for his words to register in her brain to react. She primed her magic and grabbed him at the same time, teleporting the two of them out. She knew the others would be worried about their disappearance, but right now she had to weigh the brief concern of a dozen individuals against the potential lives of thousands. As the world rematerialized around her she knew they'd arrived perfectly on point in town hall, dead in the center of the mayor's office. Aurora quickly stepped back to get his bearings while she turned to the mayor's desk, only to be met by an empty desk and a pile of disturbed papers fluttering to the ground.

"Mayor Tiara?" She asked in surprise. After a few moments a white and light violet mane poked over the top of the desk, followed by a pair of blue eyes.

"Oh, Princess Twilight," Diamond Tiara sighed in relief as she stood up fully. "Sorry, you startled me. What can I do for you today?"

"I'm sorry to spring this on you," Twilight said as she stepped up to the desk, Aurora following her over. "But we need to evacuate Ponyville. Immediately."

Chapter 14 - Raging Nightmares

It wasn't unusual for Ponyville to be a hive of activity during the early hours of the night. Events like Nightmare Night and the Winter Moon Festival often saw ponies up and about until the early hours of the morning. None of those ever saw the ponies involved enduring such a sense of urgency and concern however. Or the desire to get out of the town as quickly as possible.

Twilight's brow furrowed as she hovered over Ponyville, watching the steady streams of ponies making their way out to the north and west. Diamond Tiara had taken her and Aurora's warning with appropriate seriousness and quickly spread word that a full evacuation was to begin as soon as possible. Twilight had used the time to ensure that extra trains would be available to transfer ponies to Canterlot and further cities, and Aurora had called in several Equestria Defence Force squads to help streamline things. In reality though, they both knew it would be impossible to relocate over eight thousand ponies in anything less than nine hours. Seven at a push. The first wave of ponies had left while there had still been light. Those with young foals, the hospitalised and elderly being moved to safety while there was still the best chance to do so. It made her feel a little better to know that Rarity and Starlight Glimmer had been among them.

The second wave were the ones moving now, the vast majority of inhabitants and families that lived here. Most would be taking the trains to Canterlot, while a few hundred would be moving on to other locations. Princess Celestia had been fully informed of the situation and had opened the doors of Canterlot Castle to anypony temporarily displaced. The third and final wave was the rear guard; pegasi who had the easiest choice of escape routes, EDF units and ponies who had willingly chosen to stay behind to allow others the best chance possible. Her friends were all in that last group, keeping her constantly on edge. Such a significant undertaking was more than even she alone could handle and so she had the most organised figures in Ponyville assisting her. Applejack was coordinating things in the north-west of town, Spike in the north-east, Diamond Tiara the south-west and Amethyst Star the south-east. Aurora was overseeing the situation on the ground while she moved where she was needed from the air.

As Twilight turned at the sound of another train departing the town station, she allowed herself to acknowledge that everything had gone smoothly so far. Despite the obvious stress everypony was under, nopony had tried to cause undue trouble. It helped that many residents had lived through the threats of twenty years ago. The memories of Nightmare Moon, of Discord and Tirek. If they were told things were bad enough to warrant this, they knew to take it as seriously as she was. She took a moment to watch the next train pulling in before noticing Aurora was by the station, waving her down. She quickly flew in and landed by him, seeing Diamond approaching from within the station as well.

"How're things going?" Twilight asked as soon as her hooves were on the ground.

"Honestly, better than expected," Diamond replied as she joined them. "An extra train should be arriving in a few minutes for any ponies that want to go east."

"Sweetie Belle said she was calling in a favour from some friends in Manehatten. Guess this was it." Aurora explained.

Twilight nodded and looked over at the platform, watching as ponies began to board the current train. She could see a lot of fillies and colts in there, confused and frightened by what was going on. It hurt to watch, but she knew the alternate was far worse. If Tantabus got to Ponyville while they were still here, they'd be as much a target to her as the town itself. Dwelling on it would do nopony any favours though, now was time to focus on what was actually happening.

"Good. I just hope they don't run into trouble. Now, has anypony seen Fluttershy lately?" She asked. The pegasus hadn't been seen for at least an hour.

"Amethyst said Fluttershy was sending her family toward Cloudsdale," Diamond told her. "I hope she's back soon. We're going to need her help at this rate."

It was hard to deny that she had a point. There were still at least three thousand ponies in Ponyville itself and the longer they had to wait, the more pressure that would place on everypony. Anything that might help ease the mood would be a help right now. Twilight simply nodded and looked back toward the crowds before her attention was drawn by somepony calling Aurora's name. The three of them turned to see a dark purple unicorn mare approaching, one with a lighter purple mohawk mane, steely teal eyes and a full body set of a guard leader's armour.

"Mayor Tiara, Sergeant Aurora, Your Highness." She said in a brisk tone once she reached them, snapping a quick salute.

"At ease, miss...?" Aurora replied as he motioned for her to bring her hoof down, trying not to sound like he was at a disadvantage.

"Sergeant Tempest Shadow, sixth support unit." She told them as she brought her hoof back down. Twilight didn't recognise the name but she knew the EDF unit due to how regularly they were assigned to the Ponyville area, to the point of being nicknamed 'The Guardians of Harmony'.

"What do you need?" Twilight asked. Despite being told she could relax, Tempest remained stood at attention.

"Everypony living around the day spa is headed this way. When we were finishing up though, Private Contrail noted that nopony is moving to evacuate the farms just east of town."

"Shoot! How I could I forget them?!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed in frustration, slapping a hoof to her forehead.

"It's okay, it's impossible to remember everything under stress," Aurora told her supportively before turning back to Tempest. "Are any other squads available right now?"

"The second emergency unit is on standby," She confirmed. "But they're all we have."

"Alright, take them with you and start evac procedures. We can't afford to waste any time at this point."

Tempest nodded and dashed off to carry out her orders. For a brief moment, Twilight reflected on the pride she felt in Aurora, impressed at his still improving ability under the most trying conditions. It was only a momentary thing though, before reality came back to the fore of her thoughts.

"Okay, that's a little more heading to Canterlot than we expected," She mused, turning to Aurora. "Could you check everything is going smoothly with Princess Celestia?"

"Of course. I'll be quick as I can." He told her, stepping back into clear space before teleporting away.

"I should get back into it too. I've no idea how many ponies are coming this way right now." Diamond said. Twilight nodded in understanding and watched as she headed into the gathering crowds.

Twilight quickly took off again, scanning over Ponyville. As smoothly as everything was going, she knew that the situation could turn in a heartbeat. On top of that, there was still something in town that she needed to get out, something almost as important as the lives of the ponies below her. She was needed everywhere at the moment though, somepony else would have to get it for her. As her gaze went over Sugarcube Corner she saw Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom coming out, along with a yellow pegasus filly that was riding on the latter's back. Without anypony else in the area as an option, she quickly dropped down and into a hover just above them.

"Pinkie, are you busy?" She asked before she'd even steadied herself. The three ponies looked up at her in response, Pinkie the only one not looking surprised.

"Will be in a minute, just getting Bumblebee back to her ma," Apple Bloom told her, looking back at the filly. "Crusaders gotta stick together, right?"

"Right." She replied, sounding rather shaken but hopeful.

"I'm free if you need me, Twilight." Pinkie replied, looking over at her marefriend with an expression of silent reassurance.

"I'm guessing you know where my spell notes are?" Twilight continued. It was a silly question, Pinkie was nodding almost before she'd asked. "I need you to get them out of the castle and someplace safe."

"On it," Pinkie replied firmly before looking back at Apple Bloom. "Bloomie, I'll meet you at the castle."

Bloom nodded and headed off toward the station with Bumblebee while Pinkie dashed off toward the castle. As she watched them go, Twilight breathed a little easier. She could trust her research into stopping Tantabus with Pinkie and everything else was proceeding smoothly. Right now, it was simply a question of if they had enough time.

"Skirt the south end of town and look for either Amethyst Star or Diamond Tiara." Tempest instructed, watching as the pair of earth ponies she'd found nodded and rushed back toward Ponyville. The farmsteads just outside the town were relatively concentrated and it had been easy for her team to spread out and start getting ponies toward safety.

"Hey, Fizz!" A voice called to her from above. Tempest briefly gritted her teeth at the use of her nickname before looking up to the figure. A brown pegasus mare with an orange and light pink mane and tail and grim orange eyes.

"What've you got, Zip?" She called back. Most troopers didn't like adopting nicknames they hated but if Swift Spark had started it, it was fair game.

"We got something incoming fast!" Swift replied, seemingly too focused on her duty to care. "Headed toward Ponyville. Looks like a unicorn, but flying through their magic. Aura matches that of HPT 'Black Sun'. Assume hostile intent?"

"Copy. Guardians, regroup! We have to keep the civilians and medics safe."

Tempest quickly ran through the situation in her head as she heard the rest of her unit rushing toward her position. They had three of each race, plus another half dozen unicorns if the emergency unit were forced to fight too. Two dozen civilians at their immediate backs and a power stronger than any of them closing in rapidly. She hadn't been told exactly what threat they were facing, but if Princess Twilight considered it serious enough to warrant all this then she was going to take it just as seriously. As the rest of the squad reached her, she narrowed her eyes and made out their target. An orange unicorn in a field of aqua magic. Then the field glowed brighter.

She aimed her horn, primed to engage, when a rapid flurry of magic bolts tore toward them. Too many to evade completely. Tempest barely avoiding being hit straight in the face, still attempting to line up a counter shot as she ducked and shimmied around the attacks. She could hear cries ringing out from around her, the screams of her friends who weren't so lucky. Before she could even focus again, Swift Spark crashed to the ground next to her, burns from a direct hit visible across her neck. Tempest growled and fired a beam of her own. Her teal magic shot into the night sky, forcing their opponent to evade even while still attacking. Just as she lined up for a follow up strike, a bolt struck her square in the chest armour. She had just enough time to acknowledge her failure before the armour plate exploded under the force of the attack. Searing pain cut into her head and torso and something smashed into her forehead at the base of her horn.

Her world went black before she hit the ground.

"You can reassure Twilight that there is still enough space at the castle to take extra ponies in." Celestia told Aurora, forcing herself to keep smiling. It wasn't that she wasn't willing, just a case of unfortunate timing. The lateness of the hour aside, he had arrived just after she had performed another magic infusion for Luna. She was exhausted already, yet she knew it was still early in a long night to come.

"And if not, we can made accommodations at EDF headquarters." Luna added, standing by the window of Celestia's room and watching over Canterlot.

"I have to ask," Celestia continued, fighting back a yawn. "Is Twilight handling this situation well?"

"Right now, she's able to focus on her current task enough to not worry," Aurora replied, looking like he was trying his best to relax as well. "If Tantabus shows up before we're ready though...I'm worried she's going to try and go it alone rather than risking anypony else's lives anymore. She already blames herself hard for what happened to Bounty, Rarity and Starlight."

"And she feels she has to try and take extra responsibility due to my limited ability to help." Celestia continued, looked down sadly. Before she could continue, a shocked gasp from Luna drew their attention.

The two of them rushed over to the window with her and stared out, their blood freezing at the sight. Beyond the lights of Canterlot, Ponyville normally lay in darkness with only the brightest of lights visible at this distance. Now though, several were visible, each one a harsh orange. Even as they watched another erupted into existence, followed by a burst of light green that shot skyward until it dissipated in the atmosphere. None of them were in any doubt of what it meant.

Luna immediately shut her eyes and focused her magic, her horn sparking to life. After a second of concentrated effort her magic fizzled out and she staggered backward. Celestia and Aurora both moved to catch her, managing to keep her upright between them.

"We, have to help." Luna grunted as she turned to leave. Only for Celestia to quickly shoot a wing out to stop her.

"We will, but not by throwing ourselves in harm's way," She told her younger sister. "Neither of us are in any state to intervene right now."

Luna frowned but conceded the point, looking toward the one pony in the room capable of direct action.

"So, what are we going to do?" Aurora asked, staring back out of the window.

"What we can," Celestia told him. "You know cloudwalking spells, yes?"

"I do."

"I need you to go to Cloudsdale and commission an emergency rainstorm shipment. The instant the fighting finishes, damage control should be second priority."

Aurora nodded, a tendril of his magic running down his front before spitting into four white streams that ran into each of his hooves. A brief pulse of light from each of them confirmed the spell was active before he teleported away.

"And what about us?" Luna asked quickly. Despite her weakness, her strength of will seemed to be getting stronger in the face of adversity.

"We need to go to the EDF," Celestia said, turning to head out. "We'll need to recall as many medical and earth pony units as we can for the same purpose."

"I see," Luna looked down in thought as she followed her sister. "We may need Sky Wing units too. They can airlift ponies toward Ponyville quickly."

Celestia nodded slightly as the two of them made their way into the castle hallways. She could only hope that they would be overreacting a little to these circumstances. And that Twilight would be able to hold on by herself.

Twilight was already in sensory overload.

Her eyes stung from the heat. Her nostrils had been flooded with the scent of smoke. Her ears were ringing from the sounds of raging flames, breaking buildings and screaming ponies. Her mind was abuzz with the rush of constant magic use, the sting of glancing blows, the string of tactics she was constantly having to update in milliseconds. All of which were focused toward one singular goal.

Defending everypony she could, at all costs.

Tanabus had struck with the ferocity of a lightning strike, attacking anything that moved as soon as she had reached Ponyville. The evacuation had been reduced to a mass panic almost instantly, ponies fleeing as quickly as they could in a rout. Twilight had intercepted her within seconds and forced a running battle that had moved across town. She had to keep any movements away from other ponies that were now running in all directions, as well as keeping any attacks from going astray. Tantabus had no such worries about collateral damage and it showed. As their fight had moved west, many buildings had been damaged by evaded or purposeful magic attacks and a number of fires had broken out. Even as she dropped back to the ground after an attack of her own, Tantabus turned her head and fired a concentrated beam toward a random house. Her attacks had no method behind them, no intent but destruction.

Twilight pushed herself into the beam's path and threw up a shield to absorb the blow. While the building damage would have been relatively inconsequential, the beam would have kept going and ponies could be hiding inside or running beyond it. The entire area lit up as her purple shield flared against the aqua and blue of Tantabus' magic, briefly enough to outshine the moon above. Though the shield was able to hold, Twilight herself was unable with withstand the force of the strike. Her world was reduced to a blur as she was blown backward, quickly followed by a crushing sensation against her shoulders as she smashed through the wall of the house. Then another, and another. The momentum finally ran out as she crashed out the other side and tumbled back to the ground, feeling gravel under her again as she skidded to a halt on her side.

"Princess!" A voice called from nearby, though she could barely hear it with how loudly her ears were ringing. She was seeing double and couldn't feel her front legs very well. Her world suddenly went vertical as she was lifted back to her hooves, legs shaking slightly as feeling came back into them.

She looked to see the pony who had come to her aid was a light pink earth mare with a turquoise mane and matching eyes. She flashed a look of alarm and pushed Twilight away from her. Half a second later a beam of Tantabus' magic tore through the hole and struck her directly in the side, blasting her off her hooves and a full fifty feet down the road. She landed on her neck and crashed to a halt, not even twitching.

"No!" Twilight screamed in anguish. The whole purpose of this fight had been to keep any more ponies from dying for her. A fresh shot of adrenaline and anger seared through her at the sight, numbing the pain quickly. All her senses snapped back into razer sharp focus and she turned back toward the wrecked house, growling as Tantabus walked through the debris with a knowing smirk.

Twilight only needed a split second to know what to do before instinct took over. She teleported to cover the gap between the two of them, adjusting her position mid-cast. Tantabus' reactive attack would have hit her in the face if she had been standing up. Instead she was dropping to the ground, pivoting on her front hooves to sweep with her back legs. The move struck home and Tantabus' legs were kicked out from under her. Twilight used her magic to push her legs in the opposite direction and upward instantly, bucking her opponent in the side even as she fell. She kept the momentum going and spun back round, firing her magic at point blank range. The attack threw Tantabus skyward, roughly a hundred feet in the air.

Twilight was on top of her instantly, teleporting into her path and gripping her in her magic. Gravity kicked in quickly, dragging them both back toward the ground. She used the momentum to throw Tantabus downward like a meteor, teleporting back to the ground for another follow up strike. Just as she fired in time to met the falling unicorn, Tantabus brought up a barrier of her own to cushion the landing. The beam reflected straight back at its point of origin, forcing Twilight to bring another shield of her own up. The attack was send flying back again, bouncing between the two at a pace almost too fast to see before she angled her shield to send it skyward. The delay allowed Tantabus time to land and get back to her hooves, a look of grim determination on her face as she shook the dirt off her coat. The fight had moved toward the center of Ponyville during the last round of engagement, putting them just outside town hall.

"Such a shame you keep worrying about the dregs around us," Tantabus commented as she clambered out of the small crater left by her landing. "If you went all out, you'd probably stand a chance."

Twilight growled in anger but refused to rise to the bait. Tantabus sighed in disappointment and snapped her head sideways, firing a sudden burst of magic to her left. Twilight realised that she was aiming at a group of ponies that were fleeing toward the park and fired a focused beam to intercept the strike. She couldn't hit the entire thing but her magic struck roughly a quarter of the way into the burst, sending out a shower of white sparks as the streams of magic burned each other out. Tantabus responded with a sweeping beam of her own, forcing Twilight to keep her magic going until the two of them were circling each other, locked in a struggle to overpower the other.

As Twilight took a step back, she took stock of the situation. Under normal circumstances she would be able to use the difference in alicorn magic against unicorn magic utilised by an alicorn to seize the advantage. Tantabus was right though. The risk to others still kept her from going all out, even now she was getting singed as stray sparks hit her face and wings. There was still a lingering fear at the back of her mind too, a sense of familiarity. Her gaze momentarily went north and her eyes widened as she realised what it was. Through the smoke building in the skies and debris scattered on the ground, her castle was visible in the darkness.

From here, the view bore a chilling resemblance to how it had looked in her nightmare. Just before she had fired upon it.

Her focus wavered for the faintest of seconds, enough for her aim to slip. A thin stream of Tantabus' magic slipped around hers and struck her in the right shoulder. Her focus shattered as the pain overwhelmed her adrenaline, adding onto everything else she had suffered. Twilight gave a strangled cry and collapsed backward, Tantabus' magic barely missing her. Her opponent was upon her before she could respond, pummelling her with her bare hooves for several seconds before throwing her back with her magic. Each one had been a calculated hit, striking muscles in her legs and joints to limit her movements. Twilight yelped in pain as she skidded to a halt, her legs feeling like they were on fire. Burning almost as hard as the building behind Tantabus, silhouetting her in its hellish glow.

"See what I mean?" Tantabus replied coldly, watching as Twilight struggled in vain to get up again. She had cuts, burns and scrapes to her chest, shoulders, wings, face and all four legs. By contrast, Tantabus had come out relatively clean with only her torso and hind legs covered in bruises. "You don't even know why I'm doing this, do you?"

"Aurora did," Twilight countered, forcing herself back onto her front. She felt like she was going to black out but willed herself to keep going. "You haven't broken our spirits. You never will, when we can help each other remain standing..."

"Pathetic sentiment. Rise up a thousand times and I shall strike you down a thousand times," Tantabus replied coldly, turning away from Twilight. "And I shall strike harder every time."

It took a moment for Twilight to understand what she meant. Then she realised that her horn was levelled at the castle.

Pinkie gritted her teeth as she clambered up to the fifth row of books in the castle library. Almost all the scrolls and books she had been tasked to find had been moved to the foyer by now, ready for transport out to anywhere that wasn't here. As soon as Apple Bloom was back, they could get them both out of Ponyville together. Even through the solid crystal walls she could hear the chaos of fighting, knowing full well that Twilight was buying her time now. All she could do to help was trust they would both be able to do their part.

"Unabridged History of Amulets in old ponish, where are youuu?" She said to herself as she crawled along the edge of the bookshelf bookshelf, scanning each title. After a few moments she found the book and pulled it out, placing it on the shelf above. She quickly reached into the open space and pushed open the secret compartment at the back of the shelf, reaching in to grab the book hidden there. As advanced and dangerous as all this stuff was, she knew Twilight needed it all to stand a chance of succeeding with creating a spell capable of dealing with Tantabus for good.

Pinkie dropped back down to the ground and paused to check out the window. She couldn't hear fighting anymore, could hardly see anything through the smoke and flames that seemed to be blanketing the town. Then she felt her pinkie sense kicking in hard, her knee getting pinchy followed by her everything twitching all at once. It wasn't like the doozy shudder, or anything else she'd experienced before. She instantly knew what it meant though.

"Ah'm here, Pinball!" Apple Bloom's voice suddenly ran out from outside the library, her hooves thundering this way. That explained the knee, Pinkie briefly thought to herself as she realised what was about to happen. What she needed to do in the precious few seconds she had.

"Bloomie!" She cried, waiting for the earth mare to appear before throwing the book across the room to her. "Take this and go!"

"What?" Apple Bloom asked in confusion as she caught the book.

"Run! Ple-"

Before she could finish, Pinkie heard an ever so faint ching of magic hitting the exterior of the castle, right by the window she'd looked out of.

She had enough time to meet eyes with her lover before the library exploded behind her.

Chapter 15 - Extinguishing the Flames

"Okay, it's clear this way!"

Peace Walker allowed herself a moment to breathe as she waved the rest of the ponies she had been with forward. While the fighting had been raging on the other side of town, she had been attempting to direct others away from the attack and to anywhere that might be able to bunker down. Right now she had a group of five with her, trying to get toward Sweet Apple Acres since it had been distant enough to avoid any stray hits. The same couldn't be said for the rest of Ponyville though. Fires were starting to spread through the streets rapidly and many buildings had taken heavy damage, resulting in ever increasing injuries from debris. All of the ponies behind her had taken knocks of varying severity and one mare had a sizeable gash across her forehead, leaving her face covered in blood. She was a giant of an earth pony though and it wasn't slowing her down at all.

As the rest of the group ran past her for their next safe spot, Peace looked back. They were a block west from Twilight's castle and she had seen Apple Bloom running inside when they had approached a minute before. Her ears twitched as she realised she couldn't hear any sounds of combat anymore, magical or otherwise. For some reason that only put her more on edge, more determined to make sure no pony was left behind. She looked back at the rest of the group and made a quick judgement call. They had kept it together well despite the panic permeating the entire town and by this point they were close to the edge of town.

"Do you think you can make it the rest of the way?" She asked as she rejoined them.

"I'll manage it. I work at Sweet Apple Acres so I know where everything we'll need is when we get there." The tall mare replied, wiping her eyes clean with a hoof. She was lucky the darkness and her brown coat helped hide the worst of the blood.

"You do, miss...?"

"Hayseed."

"Alright, stick together and don't stop for anything."

"Hey, I didn't plan on dying for at least another fifteen years." Little Hayseed replied, motioning for the others to keep going and following behind them.

Peace looked at her in confusion before spinning round at the sound of high-intensity magic screaming through the air behind them. Then she saw the beam, bright teal with sparks of black running through it, a good sixty feet in the air. Before anypony could react, it struck the east side of the castle and detonated. The east towers were engulfed in a fireball of energy, crystalline debris ranging from hoof sized shards to minotaur sized chunks being torn from the building and thrown in almost every direction by the blast.

"Go! GO!!" Peace roared the others, barely able to be heard as she started running for the castle while they took off toward Sweet Apple Acres. West was the only remotely safe direction since that side of the castle had withstood the attack. She rushed toward the base of the castle and threw herself against it for cover, flinching as she was almost showered by razor-sharp shards.

After half a minute the noise in the immediate area started to die down and she risked poking her head back out. The sky was almost completely blotted out by the mix of smoke and dust clouds caused by buildings being hit by the debris. It was impossible to tell just how far the damage was spread from here. There wasn't much she could do for it now though, she had to focus on what she could do. Helping others by putting herself in harm's way was what she did best as a soldier. With that settled, she steeled herself and ran round to the castle entrance, heading inside without hesitation.

"Apple Bloom?" Peace called as she ran through the foyer. The ground floor seemed to be largely unscathed by the attack, aside from a number of vases that had been shaken from their mounts. The map room was also intact, though some of the memory gems had fallen from their places above. "Apple Bloom? Where are you?!"

The second floor was similarly vacant yet intact, though a number of rooms near the blast site had collapsed walls. It was starting to look like the outer crystal wall had taken the worst of the damage while the interior had stayed in one piece. As she reached the third floor, Peace Walker's calls were met with a reply. Too distant to make out from the stairs but undeniably signs of life. She followed them quickly, concern starting to rise as she realised they were coming from the east side of the castle. The epicentre of the blast. She skidded to a stop outside the library and froze as she looked in.

Almost the entire exterior wall had been destroyed by the force of the impact, the ruined skyline of Ponyville visible beyond. The fighting outside seemed to have stopped entirely and a light rain was starting to fall, barely visible against the fires and night. The library before her had been utterly decimated as well. The ground was covered with fallen and shattered bookcases, crushing any furniture unfortunate enough to be beneath them. A pair of crystalline pillars at the edges of the room had also collapsed, one ever so slightly upright due to the carnage blocking its fall.

"Anypony..." A strained voice called from inside. Peace recognised it instantly and moved in, climbing over the wreckage to try and find her. She quickly found it, not anticipating the sight before her.

It turned out the pillar was being held back not due to the debris, but due to Apple Bloom. She was pinned on her back, back legs quivering as she held against the pillar while trying to reach for a section of broken bookcase with her forelegs. For a brief moment, Peace reflected that she really was Applejack's sister to be able to endure such a weight before realising what she was reaching for. She'd missed it in the initial chaos, but Pinkie Pie was wedged under the bookcase. She was breathing but looked heavily battered and completely unconscious.

"H-hold on!" Peace exclaimed as she moved in, training and reflexes kicking in. Any past animosity she had felt for her own selfish reasons meant nothing in the moment. "Let me just-"

"Get her out," Apple Bloom grunted as she was forced to use all four hooves to keep holding the pillar in place. "Nopony gets left behind."

Peace nodded and moved to the bookcase, working her way underneath. She lifted the section off Pinkie and onto her back before shrugging it aside. Just a few days ago she had told Pinkie that she'd only be happy when nopony had to go through what she had. That included losing a loved one to Tantabus' wrath. Time to practice what she preached.

With delicate precision she lifted Pinkie onto her back and moved her toward the door, struggling to pick a route. Apple Bloom was in no position to help, only to watch as she carried Pinkie back to the door and laid her down gently. One down, one to go. Just as she got back over the debris, Bloom gasped in pain as one of her hind legs gave out. With her strength and leverage crippled, the pillar started to come down again. Peace lunged forward without thinking, barely beating gravity as she tackled the two of them out of the way in time to avoid being crushed.

"You o-okay?" Peace coughed, unable to see through the dust kicked up by the falling pillar.

"Thanks t'you," Bloom replied, waving the dust away and pushing herself upright again. She couldn't stand on the damaged leg, but it was far better than the alternate. "I owe ya one."

"Not really, this is basically what I get paid to do."

"Still, we both owe...Pinkie!"

Peace looked back as Bloom scrambled over to her partner before standing up herself, biting back a yelp as she pulled out a few tail hairs caught under the pillar. She seemed to be alright otherwise though and turned her attention back to the others, rejoining them quickly. Pinkie was still unconscious and her pulse was starting to slow slightly. Apple Bloom was checking her over, doing her best not to become frantic.

"It's worse than it looks. She'll make it, but we should get her out of here quickly." Peace commented. Apple Bloom nodded and looked round for a moment before grabbing a lone book sitting by the library door.

"Okay...You'll need to carry her though."

Everything seemed to have slowed to a crawl. Her perception of the world, her senses, even her heartbeat.

Her home was being destroyed in front of her once again, with her friends possibly inside, and she could barely summon the willpower to stand up. Let alone do anything about it.

Twilight's ears fell back as she watched her castle being engulfed in the explosion, mounting horror flooding her heart. It was taking everything she had just to get to her hooves as the crushing thought that she had sent one of her oldest friends to die flooded her brain. Tantabus' cold, mocking laughter rang through her mind as her senses caught up with reality, everything speeding up in the blink of an eye. The world seemed to be shaking slightly as she blinked back into focus, mind still struggling to comprehend even the most basic thing at the moment. All she could see now was the unicorn in front of her, illuminated by the now burning town hall behind her, eyes glinting with a look of...Surprise?

Tantabus had no time to react before a huge figure thundered past Twilight's left side and tackled her. Before she could see who it was, Rainbow Dash landed in front of her and flared her wings out to shield the princess. As she saw Applejack rushing in to help as well, Twilight realised that all her friends had come in to save her, and Spike had been the one leading the charge. They were putting themselves in greater danger for a pony who was too deep in shock to even move right now.

"Twilight, look at me," Rainbow told her firmly from over her shoulder, doing her best to keep Twilight's focus away from the fighting. "We're here now and we're not gonna let her touch you."

"N...No..." Twilight replied quietly, starting to get some feeling back in her body now that she was looking at her friend instead. "Pinkie..."

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of somepony teleporting into the battlefield, followed almost instantly by an almighty crash of a collapsing building and somepony struggling nearby. Even as she tried to look at what was happening, a bolt of white magic ricocheted off Rainbow's right wing and was sent skyward. As Rainbow momentarily tucked her wing in and flinched away, Twilight could see what was happening. Despite the sights and sounds, things weren't as bad as she'd feared. The teleportation had been from Aurora arriving in Ponyville and he was firing on Tantabus while Applejack fought to restrain her. Something had hit town hall hard, roughly a third of it had collapsed in on itself and the rest was reduced to an inferno.

Just as AJ managed to pin her to the ground, Tantabus jerked her head back and lit her horn, stabbing at her captor's leg. Applejack was forced to recoil to avoid being impaled, leaving an opening Tantabus used to teleport away. Everything momentarily went silent as everypony realised what had happened. Tantabus had completed her objectives and for the most part, they had failed in theirs.

"Rrrgghh, darnit!!" Applejack snapped, punching the ground in frustration.

"Sorry, AJ. I should have stayed closer to her," Aurora said as he helped her up before moving over to his aunt. "Oh no...Twilight?"

"I'm fine," Twilight grunted, even as she kept struggling to stand. "Is she...?"

Aurora's eyes paled as he looked round, his horn glowing brightly for several seconds before they faded again.

"Wherever she fled to, she's not in Ponyville anymore."

"Then...Need to get to the castle...Pinkie..."

Twilight looked back toward the castle as Rainbow moved to her side and put a wing out for her to lean on. It had taken less damage than the initial blast had indicated. Though much of the crystal walls on the whole east side had been burned or broken away, it was still structurally sound. It was too much to hope that anypony that had been inside would be unscathed though.

"Alright, if it's clear then," Aurora said to himself before firing a beam of his magic skyward, piercing through the smoke and dust above. "Help's on the way now."

Twilight just nodded, too drained to wonder what he meant. Her legs shook with every step as she slowly started making her way toward the castle, Rainbow and Aurora helping her along. Applejack had rushed back to the wreckage of town hall and was attempting to clear away any rubble that wasn't close to the flames. It took Twilight a moment to realise, but then it struck her. Spike. Even as she stopped and looked back she could see him attempting to dig his way out of the damaged section near Applejack, partially buried by detritus. Despite the severity of the situation, he actually looked no worse for wear.

As they resumed moving again, rain started to fall through the smoke above. It was light over them, but more concentrated over the fires and any impact sites where parts of the castle had landed. Rainbow glanced up at the skies and shot a glance over at Aurora.

"This have something to do with why you were gone so long?" She asked.

"Yes. Princess Celestia and I were preparing some damage control for when the fighting ended." Aurora told her. Even as he said it, they could make out a number of pegasi flying into the area. Some were carrying unicorns and earth ponies that they landed across Ponyville before joining the others in putting out fires and assisting in search and rescue efforts.

"But, where were the rest of you?" Twilight asked. Rainbow looked up at her sympathetically before replying.

"We knew you'd want us to make sure as many ponies as possible got away first."

Twilight managed a small smile at that. One that quickly faded as they moved deeper into town. Now that the fighting was over, ponies that had remained were starting to come out from their hiding places. Few were unhurt, though the vast majority only had minor cuts, bruises or burns. Far too many had more serious injuries however, struck by debris, taking glancing blows from Tantabus' magic or caught in blasts from stray fire. A number had been caught in building collapses or taken more grievous hits, rescue efforts underway for the former and medical attention being administered to the latter. The idea that such scenes were happening across Ponyville had Twilight on the verge of tears.

She looked down a side street as they passed into the northwest of town, her heart stopping at the sight. A house partway down the street had been destroyed completely and Trixie was clearing rubble away from Quick Fix and a mint green unicorn mare while they worked on a pair of ponies trapped in the collapse. Quick was performing CPR on a silver earth filly while the other medic checked a cream pegasus mare for any signs of life. All of them looked under a lot of stress as they worked, an indicator that the situation would largely be getting worse before it got better.

A sudden cry from the opposite side of the street drew her attention immediately afterward. Compared to this side street, the other side was intact with only a single beam having punched through the houses on the opposite sides of the street. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were there as well, the pegasus standing over a pair of bodies with a look of pure despair on her face. The fallen pony on the left was an older, amber coated earth mare, the one on the right a gray coated pegasus mare. Both of them had burn marks on their sides indicating they had been caught in the line of Tantabus' attack.

"No, no no nonono!" Scootaloo said quickly as she dropped down and cradled the lifeless earth mare, clinging to her as if the pressure would bring her round. "Come on mom. You went through eighteen years without me, you're not gonna go less than a year after finding me again right? Come on! Please!"

"Scootaloo..." Sweetie told her quietly, sounding pained from being the one to break the news. "I was here when it happened...She-"

"Don't say that! She's not...They're not...!" Scootaloo snapped, tears welling up in her eyes as she kept trying to rouse either of the bodies. "Come on mom, please...Derpy? T-this isn't funny!! I'm not losing a friend either, not now!"

"Your mother was blindsided by a stray attack," Sweetie continued, voice cracking in grief. "Derpy tried to put herself in the way but, it just went clean through..."

"D...Dad?" Scootaloo whimpered, suddenly forcing herself up and grabbing her friend's shoulders in desperation. "Y-you saw him right? Brown pegasus stallion, dark mane. Tell me I didn't lose him too!"

"I saw him at the time, flying toward the hospital. I don't think he knows either..."

Scootaloo finally gave up trying to fight the denial and dropped onto her haunches, staring in wide eyed realisation. Nopony had time to react before she buried her face in her hooves, wrapping her wings around herself as she broke down completely. Sweetie Belle sat down next to her and held her close, starting to tear up herself at the sound of her friend's grief-wracked sobs. The sight stung painfully at the three ponies watching, adding another layer of grim reality to their already heavy hearts. Rainbow Dash fidgeted slightly at the sight, clearly torn between keeping supporting Twilight and going to comfort Scootaloo. Aurora picked up on it almost instantly and discreetly alerted Twilight to their friend's dilemma.

"Go to her," Twilight said after a moment's thought. "She needs her big sister right now."

Rainbow hesitated slightly but nodded, covering the gap in moments. As soon as she was within hoof's reach, Scootaloo opened her wings up and latched on, clinging onto her sister like her life depended on it. Rainbow looked down at her sadly and wrapped her hooves around her in turn, bringing her wings out to shield them from the rain. With little they could do to comfort either of them at the moment, Twilight and Aurora continued onward.

By now the pegasi had done their job and the worst of the fires were coming under control. Some were working on clearing the skies, allowing the night light to shine once again as the rain eased off, while others joined the rescue efforts. The streets were steadily becoming more active as a second wave of medical teams arrived and started on triage for the wounded while earth pony squads moved to assist the pegasi. With every step she took, every new pony that came into sight, Twilight knew in her heart that this was her fault. She could have not held back when it matter. Or she could have moved to intercept Tantabus before she reached Ponyville. Or figured out what was happening in time to evacuate everypony. Or just been smart enough to figure out the spell needed to safely separate Tantabus from Sunset. Or...

"Twilight," Aurora spoke up as they approached the castle. "I know things are bad, but if you hadn't stood up when you were needed then we all would have been caught out by Tantabus. You know there was very little chance of us saving everypony, but your decision saved thousands of lives that would otherwise be gone..."

Twilight shook her head slightly, wincing as a faint thudding sensation in it became more pronounced. The damage she'd taken was starting to catch up with her as the adrenaline filtered out of her system. But she refused to stop yet. Not until she'd seen if her fears were true. A few moments later, she made out Peace Walker coming out of the castle, Apple Bloom limping after her. Her blood froze as she realised that Peace was carrying an unconscious Pinkie Pie on her back, moving toward the hospital as quickly as she could. That was it then, she really had sent her friend to her potential death over a few measly scrolls.

The weight of all her pain, stress and guilt hit at once and she froze up, shutting out everything about the world around her.

Chapter 16 - Burned Lands and Broken Hearts

As the night dragged on, the full extent of the damage caused by Tantabus' raid became painfully clear. Roughly a thousand ponies had remained trapped in Ponyville during the attack, though many of them had remained safe due to the fighting being largely restricted to the east and south sides of town. Although there were also a lot of ponies injured by debris or the general panic, the majority were walking wounded with only light injuries. The medical teams that had arrived in the aftermath set up a treatment center at Sweet Apple Acres due to it being undamaged in the attack, working on as many ponies as they could. Ponyville Hospital had also been lucky enough to not take any stray hits or be caught up in the fires. It was now being utilised for the more serious injuries, ranging from stitches to emergency surgery. Those involved knew that their work would continue until the daylight hours. A number of medical staff had been with the first wave of evacuations, putting extra pressure on those that remained. In addition, every passing hour was seeing more ponies found or recovered from the wreckage and the longer they were left, the worse their chances.

Rainbow Dash chewed her lip lightly as she ran through all this in her head. It was nearly half past one in the morning and she had been constantly moving for hours, constantly switching between supporting Scootaloo and providing whatever help she could elsewhere. She'd finally been given a few minutes for a much needed breather and had settled down in a waiting room so as not to be in the way. She didn't feel like just sitting and waiting, or checking through the usual slew of magazines. Instead she sat by one of the windows and looked out at what little view there was, wings twitching almost constantly.

Ponyville lay in near total darkness beyond. All but the smallest pockets of fire had been extinguished and most of the smoke had been cleared away by now, leaving only broken buildings in view. Occasionally a pegasus would be illuminated against the stars or the light of a unicorn's horn would be visible, the only signs of life in the desolation. Although the fighting had been in only one area, Tantabus' magic had been unrestrained and collateral damage had likely been spread even beyond Ponyville's boundaries. Even now she could see a pair of ponies rushing toward the hospital, another unconscious body carried between them. She looked down and flexed her wings until the mechanisms whined in strain before bringing them back in. She knew that everypony had done more than everything possible to protect the innocent, but it didn't make it any easier to know that that just wouldn't be enough to help everypony.

Rainbow turned and walked out of the waiting room, unable to keep looking at the damage. It reminded her too much of herself right now. As she moved back into the main hospital, the atmosphere quickly shifted from reserved quiet to chaotic din. Just about every available station in the hospital was still in use due to such severe injuries taking time to work on. She could go anywhere and find herself needed. As it was, she headed to the nearest treatment room and found a indigo unicorn mare working on a light blue pegasus stallion. His left wing was burned and a line of similar burns ran up his shoulder and stopping just beside his left eye, as well as scuffs and bruises down his neck and chest that indicated a crash landing. Rainbow recognised him quickly, the son of a pair of Wonderbolts she had flown with back when the squadron had first been integrated into the Sky Wing.

"Contrail?" She said as she stepped in. The stallion looked up at her voice and managed to supress his pained writhing. He was only seventeen though and his eyes failed to mask the fear he was feeling. He was clearly trying to put a brave face on the situation.

"Rainbow Dash?" He replied through gritted teeth. Despite everything, he managed to get himself under control and let the doctor continue working. "I-I can't believe I'm actually meeting you. Mom and dad always spoke so highly of you."

"Well, Sky and Vapor always said I was the best they'd ever flown with. Even though they were both good enough to be Wonderbolts too," Rainbow stepped in fully and moved next to Contrail, keeping him focused on her and not the pain. "So, what happened to you?"

"I...I don't know," Contrail winced slightly as he was worked on, doing his best to keep his voice level. "We were moving ponies toward town for the evacuation, then Swift Spark called something about an incoming and we were ordered to regroup. Next thing I know I'm flying out of control through a storm of magic, my wing was hit and then..."

"It's okay. Nopony knew that Black Sun would be coming from that direction." Rainbow told him gently.

Contrail stared up at the ceiling as he processed this. Black sun was Tantabus' code word within the EDF, used to keep ponies from finding out what they were really facing. Only a hoofful of those within the army knew the truth of her identity. A few moments a flash of alarm crossed his face and he clutched at Rainbow's front leg.

"You've been out there right? Have you heard anything about Tempest Shadow? She was still breathing when the medics arrived, I saw it!"

"Stay calm kid, you're gonna hurt yourself more," Rainbow placed a hoof on his good shoulder, holding it until he fully lay down again. The nurse gave her a quick nod of thanks before continuing working. "Far as I know, Tempest is still in surgery. She was in worse shape than you but it's looking like she's gonna make it."

"Oh thank Celestia. I thought I was the only one who'd gotten lucky."

"I'll see if we can get you talking to her when she wakes up, okay? For now, just focus on getting yourself better. I'd hate to see you lose your potential because you injured yourself after the action was done."

"O-okay...Thank you, Captain." Contrail sounded more relaxed as he lay back down, focusing on his breathing as the nurse kept working.

"Dash is fine." Rainbow told him with a smile as she left. As soon as she was out of sight, she stopped and grimaced to herself. Tempest had come out of surgery an hour ago, but Contrail had been the only lucky one. She simply hadn't had the heart to tell him what the surgeons had needed to do to save Tempest's life. What she had needed to sacrifice.

As she moved back through the hospital, her heart sank again at the sights in every hallway. Ponies with varying severities of injuries seemed to be sat or stood everywhere she looked. Taking in what had happened to them, supporting or being comforted by loved ones, or trying to find the same. Even as she kept walking, she was passed by a red unicorn mare, looking at everypony in sight franticly. Out of nowhere she suddenly turned and gripped Rainbow's shoulders, shaking slightly as she stared into her eyes.

"Please tell me you've seen my husband!" She whimpered, shaking even more. Rainbow noticed out of the corner of her eye that her hind right leg was cast up and in a splint. "Teal pegasus, bushy white mane, goes by Troposphere. They told me he was brought here!"

"I-I'm sorry, I haven't." Rainbow told her, ears folding back as she watched the mare take off again as quick as she could with a crippled leg.

She wanted to help look, but she wouldn't even know where to start. The hospital was already starting to become close to capacity. She kept moving, wings twitching sadly as she looked for somewhere where she could be of further help. As she passed by the next surgery room her ears perked at the sound of familiar voices inside.

"Are you sure this is really necessary?" Spike was saying, the fact he sounded so calm catching a bit more of the pegasus' attention.

"We all know how much ya hate the doctor at the best of times an' there ain't no anaesthetic in Equestria strong enough to keep you down," Applejack's voice followed up. "Now hush up, drake, and let Fluttershy concentrate."

Between having her curiosity piqued and a chance to distract herself by helping more, Rainbow had stepped inside before she'd even thought about it. Spike was lying on his front on the surgical table with a bored expression on his face. Applejack was keeping his neck and hands pinned down, Big Mac doing the same for his feet. The reason why was painfully evident. Fluttershy was examining a three-inch wide metal pole that had been impaled into the back of his left shoulder, cracking the scales around it and sticking out roughly half a foot. At a guess, an unfortunate consequence of his efforts to defend Twilight from Tantabus.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, perfect," Fluttershy said once she saw who had come in. "I need disinfectant, strong painkillers, scalpels, hot water, towels and a bonesaw."

"Err, a what?" Spike asked nervously as Rainbow dashed around the room, picking up everything needed.

"It'll be easier to work if I can remove some of the pole first. I'm cutting this out around some pretty sensitive muscles and I can't afford to get it wrong."

"Oh dear." Spike said quietly as he gripped the table, Applejack and Mac both increasing their hold to keep him from squirming.

"Ah ease up, could've been a lot worse." Mac told him, remaining unusually focused on what he was doing. AJ looked over at him sadly for a few moments before focusing on her part as well.

"Worth it for Twi's sake." Spike replied, more to himself than anything.

Fluttershy looked down at him thoughtfully but didn't say anything. Her attention was drawn away as Rainbow Dash arrived at her side, placing down everything she'd gathered on a trolley by the table.

"Need anything else?" Rainbow asked, double checking everything was there.

"We should be alright for now," Fluttershy told her gently, preparing what she needed. "I offered to do this since I'm more familiar with non-pony anatomy, and the doctors really needed a break."

"Yeah, we all do," Applejack admitted.

"Okay. I'll see if anypony else needs help right now. Call for me if you need me." Rainbow told them as she cleaned her hooves off before heading out. The last thing ponies needed right now was her tracking something nasty she might have touched through the rest of the hospital.

As she kept walking, her thoughts drifted back to the events of earlier for what felt like the thousandth time. So many ponies she knew had suffered and died tonight, for a battle none of them understood. Some of her closest friends included. As soon as she had arrived at the hospital earlier, her first action had been to attempt to see Pinkie Pie. Instead she had been met by closed doors as the surgeons on duty at the time had battled to save her friend's life. Apple Bloom had been there before her, and every time she had passed that spot since, waiting alone. How many other ponies were going through the same as her and the unicorn from earlier, not knowing if they would ever see their nearest and dearest, or even just their friends, ever again?

Despite her concerns, the further she went the less it seemed ponies needed her support right now. The doctors, medics and volunteers currently working seemed to have a handle on the situation and she had steadily drifted toward the recovery wards where everypony was either recovering from treatment or had found somepony else to support them. Although many of them were still in rough shape, the fact that they were still standing strong was enough for her to breathe a little easier. There was one pony she still wasn't sure she could say that about though: Twilight. She hadn't seen her since breaking off to comfort Scootaloo back in town. All she knew was that she had been treated for relatively light injuries and exhaustion earlier.

As Rainbow entered the recovery wards, her ears twitched at the sound of somepony breaking down in tears nearby. She quickly followed them into a side hallway to the sight of Quick Fix, curled up on a chair and clutching his tail in his hooves. Peace Walker was sat next to him, hoof on his head as she watched with concern. It was clear even at a glance that he was deep in the throes of a breakdown and Rainbow could easily guess why. She slowly walked over and watched, seeing his whole body shudder as he choked back another round of tears.

"What happened?" She asked as she approached. Asking if he was okay would just be insulting.

"The same thing that's happened to all of us." Peace told her quietly, rubbing Quick's head gently.

"I told her I'd save her," Quick whimpered, lifting his head slightly to take in Rainbow's presence through bloodshot eyes. "There was still light in her eyes...The filly wasn't breathing though. I-I had to try with her, I had time to help the mare after. By the time I'd stabilized her though...I could have done more, I know I could!"

"You were an untrained medic being thrown into the worst situation imaginable," Peace told him, her voice becoming surprisingly soft. "The fact you saved somepony's life shows how much you'd learned on your own, how capable you were."

"Or that I was an idiot with ideas out of my league," He replied quickly, burying his face in his tail again. "I couldn't save that mare. I couldn't save my home or, or Jacob...I had to mess up their searches by being brought here..."

"Maybe we should have someone take a look at you." Rainbow suggested. To her surprise, Quick glared at her.

"I'm not injured, and the doctors have far higher priorities than me. Seriously guys, I can fucking deal with this!" He snapped, though his voice was shaking more with every word.

Rainbow frowned slightly at that. While the part about priorities was not strictly untrue, she also knew the early signs of psychological trauma when she saw them. Something like that was beyond her ability though, so she discreetly signalled to Peace to find somepony he could talk to as soon as she could. She gave a small, solemn nod in reply and kept supporting Quick while Rainbow moved on.

The actual atmosphere in the recovery wards, while still agitated, was far more relaxed. Ponies that didn't have friends or family with them had come together for support and others were doing their best to comfort the most shaken. The sounds of guitar music and singing drifted through the halls, coming from a rec room partway through. Sweetie Belle and Deep Note had set up an area inside for fillies and colts that hadn't been able to reunite with their parents yet and were putting their musical talents to use, giving them something to focus on other than the disaster that had unfolded around them. The thought, and the music, brought a small smile to Dash's face as she kept moving. Even in the bleakest of moments, there was always somepony finding some small spark. Finding ways to help others keep going on.

There didn't seem to be anypony needing help in this area. Just as she was getting ready to move on she passed by a waiting room with the lights extinguished. That was odd, there weren't any power problems in the hospital and she could swear she could see something moving inside. She stepped inside and flipped the lights on with a wing, freezing as she saw who it was. The figure inside was Twilight, pacing slightly in front of a window. Her left cheek had been covered in a gauze patch and her right shoulder was bandaged up while the marks across the rest of her body sported the signs of applied healing magic. It seemed her body was more durable than the local architecture.

"Twilight...?" Rainbow said as she stepped inside, realising her friend wasn't taking her eyes off the view of Ponyville outside. It felt eerily similar to her own movements earlier. "How're you doing?"

"Aura..." Twilight replied, not looking back. Rainbow stopped and looked at her in confusion.

"Wha-"

"Spring Spirit," Twilight continued flatly. "Night Shade. Ice Crasher. Canter Zoom. Indigo Zap. Troposphere. Swift Spark. Phalanx. Strawberry Sunrise. Light Trick. Quillstroke. Sea Swirl. Firelock. Chain Link. Cheerilee. Silverflanks. Cozy Glow. Two Step. Derpy. Archer. Greengrass. None of them are going to see the dawn...Because of me."

Rainbow's heart sank as she realised what she was talking about. Still, right now her friend needed support more than anything. She stepped forward and waited until Twilight stopped to put a wing around her, watching as she took a moment to register it.

"Because of Tantabus," She told her firmly, placing a hoof on the alicorn's good shoulder. "Because of you, that list is many times shorter than it would have been."

"And the ones who've had their lives changes by their injuries, or might not wake up at all," Twilight just kept staring forward, sounding like she hadn't heard her. "Diamond Tiara. Contrail. Silverspeed. Tempest Shadow. Octavia. Pinkie Pie...Those are just the ponies I know about...I can't let this happen again."

Rainbow looked over at Twilight and shifted a little closer to her. She'd seen this before, supressed but fixated despair. It just meant she and the others would have to step up their game and find a safe outlet for it, before Twilight did something she'd regret.

"We estimate roughly eighty-seven percent of Ponyville's inhabitants were able to avoid the fighting. Unfortunately, at least two hundred civilians have been killed or seriously injured so far. The second emergency unit suffered a fifteen percent casualty rate and the sixth support unit has been rendered combat ineffective. SAR is still underway and a final tally of damage and casualties will be conducted at dawn."

Princess Luna nodded as she took in Aurora's report. Princess Celestia had been doing her best to keep directing support toward Ponyville in the aftermath of the attack, but she was less used to the night than her sister and had since drifted into a fitful sleep. Luna had taken up her authority as EDF Supreme Commander to direct further rescue efforts for Ponyville in the meantime. Despite her weakness from being without Tantabus, she felt more like her old self when doing her part to help.

"Nothing else can be deployed at this hour, but I shall send word for the ninth and fourteenth protector units to be sent to Ponyville in the morning. Their strength will be needed for immediate repairs and aid." She replied, looking down in thought.

"There's also the matter of Twilight," Aurora added, suddenly very interested in the remaining stained glass windows of the throne room. "I know she wanted to make sure everypony made it out of this, but that just wasn't going to be possible under the circumstances. Based on what mom was willing to tell me about what happened after the Starlight incident, I think she's going to do something drastic to try and stop Tantabus before anypony else gets hurt. We have to bring her round before that."

Luna nodded, memories of dozens of sleepless days returning to the surface, all spent attempting to help Twilight through her depression. There was a very real possibly of that happening again, or worse. Before she could think of a response though, the doors of the throne room were thrown open and a light blue, pink maned pegasus mare wearing the sash of the EDF Logistics unit rushed in. Both Luna and Aurora turned to the newcomer while Celestia awoke with a start, quickly trying to shift to a more dignified position on her throne.

"Officer Whistler?" Luna said as the mare approached, her tone hinting she didn't appreciate the interruption.

"Apologies, your highnesses," Wind Whistler replied as she stopped and dropped into a bow before the three ponies. "But EDF Command has received a critical message from the Crystal Guards!"

Aurora looked aghast, having a painfully good idea of what he was about to hear. Whistler's words only confirmed it.

"The Crystal Empire is under attack as we speak. Target confirmed as ID 'Black Sun'."

Chapter 17 - Furious Cadance

"Do we know anything else? Tell me everything!" Aurora demanded as he fought to keep his emotions in check. Although there was the ever-present concern for his parents and the empire's inhabitants, there was also a spark of indignation within him at the news. Despite his speciality in tactics, Tantabus had completely outmanoeuvred him.

"The Crystal Castle has been the focus of the assault," Wind Whistler continued, never moving from her position. "Queen Cadance and King Armor were aware of the events in Ponyville and were able to respond quickly. They have established defences around the castle and are holding their position for now. The Crystal Guards have been isolated and are largely focusing their efforts on moving any remaining civilians out of the city."

Aurora instantly span round to face Celestia and Luna. Even with everything going on, there was no sign of conflicting interests in his eyes. Both princesses knew where he wanted to be and they both knew that there was little point stopping him. The Crystal Empire would need all the help it could get.

"Go." Celestia said simply. Aurora nodded and teleported away almost instantly, leaving the two sisters to decide how to proceed with this news.

"Much as I resent admitting it, Tantabus has limited our options," Luna mused, pacing slowly. "All our assets that were ready to move have already been sent to Ponyville."

"Well there has to be something we can do," Celestia commented as she came over, any tiredness paling against the mounting severity of the situation. "We can't just abandon Cadance to this threat."

"You've seen the reports from EDF command more recently than I. Is there anything else that could reach the empire quickly?"

"Okay, okay..." Celestia looked down and tapped her chin quickly, trying to remember that particular part of her day. The exhaustion in her mind made most of it a haze, but she could still clearly remember the map showing which units were where. Even though she hadn't needed to look that way that day, she had also checked who was closest to the empire's borders. "Squadron sixteen is in Whinnyapolis, maybe they could fly to provide support."

"Lightning Squadron?" Luna mused before nodding. "Even with extra time to prepare themselves they're fast enough to get there, could provide vital interference, and such a mission is Captain Dust's speciality. Officer, relay orders for SW sixteen to scramble and provide rapid support at Crystal City. No heroics."

Wind Whistler nodded and quickly left the throne room. Once she was out of sight, Luna sighed and sat back on her haunches, visibly drained. A rare moment of vulnerability from her. Celestia moved to her sister's side and draped a wing over her shoulders. A mere month ago, they would have both been moving to protect the empire they had unwittingly founded so long ago. In their current states though, all they could do for now was wait. And hope that those Cadance had with her the strength to withstand Tantabus.

Crystal City was bathed in pale pink light that reflected off every building, lighting the surrounding area for miles around. Occasionally the light would pulse with a mix of light blue and white to create a cascade of light, illuminating the skies even further. On any other occasion, the sight of a city lit up like this would be breath-taking.

Tonight, few ponies were in a position to see it.

Shining Armor grunted as his magic flared around his horn, sweat pouring down his face as he poured more of his strength into the forcefield before him. Tonight had gone badly enough already, waiting for any news from either his sister or his son. Then after word had reached the empire that Ponyville had been attacked, Tantabus had appeared within its borders with intent to fight. For once, the paranoia instilled in the crystal ponies by Sombra's rule had paid off, allowing them to either retreat to the castle or head for the city boundary within minutes of the warning being given. Many were still present in the area though. Crystal City's population was at least five times that of Ponyville and the castle had only been able to take in so many before he had been forced to seal it off with his protective magic.

Mercifully, Tantabus was proving less interested in collateral damage and more focused at striking the heart of the Crystal Empire. Her attacks had almost exclusively been directed toward the barrier surrounding the castle, fighting to penetrate it in some capacity. Cadance had initially been able to aid him with her own shield magic but had needed to shift priorities to keeping the ponies that had reached the castle calm. Much as he would have liked her help, he knew that what she was doing was every bit as important. If the crystal ponies negative emotions became strong enough to influence the Crystal Heart, the consequences would be felt across the whole continent. For now, he just had to stay strong and keep this battle of attrition going until an opportunity presented itself.

A small mercy then, that the fatigue that had plagued him for the past few years had cleared up within the last couple of days. If there was any time he needed to feel completely like himself again, it was now.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, another beam of Tantabus' magic crashed against the upper reaches of the shield, sparks of energy flaring in all directions as it absorbed the attack. Regular magic wasn't much of a concern against his shield, and this was just covering one tall but narrow castle. He had been able to keep an entire city covered while it was under constant siege, while only subconsciously maintaining the shield. On the other hoof, he could gauge the strength being put into each of Tantabus' attacks and knew that most of them were merely probing his defences. If...When, she got serious, he would be on the back hoof.

A quick glance back showed that Cadance was with roughly thirty ponies that were sticking close to the crystal heart. The majority were crystal ponies, although there were a few earth ponies and pegasi among them. Many more were hiding inside the castle itself, taking advantage of the study crystal structure for protection. Their voices were just about audible over his near constant magic use.

"What do we do...What do WE do?" An emerald crystal mare was fretting, pacing in front of the crystal heart.

"Why is this happening to us?" A quartz coloured stallion added, looking round as if there might be some means of escape he'd missed.

"I don't know why, but we have to stand strong and united," Cadance told them, her voice carrying that firm yet dulcet tone of a supportive leader. "You all have the strength of will to protect the Crystal Heart, the Crystal Empire, from any harm. If Sombra couldn't st-"

"Why isn't Equestria coming to help us?!?" An auburn pegasus stallion cried, his panic tinged with more than a little anger.

Before anypony could respond, the shield was struck by an attack strong enough to shake the ground beneath them. The barrier buckled under the sheer energy being unloaded into it but managed to hold. Shining Armor wasn't so lucky. Keeping his magic at work meant he felt the impact straight through his horn and into his mind, giving him the mother of all headaches in an instant. His vision burred as his whole head pounded, leaving what he could see beyond the shield reduced to little more than a maelstrom of energy. He gritted his teeth and tensed his legs, focusing on staying standing as his body trembled from the effort.

"Shining!" Cadance called as she dashed over to him, using some of her own magic to bolster him and reinforce the shield. "Are you okay?"

"Chrysalis was worse," He told her reassuringly, managing a smile even as he looked set to blow a vein in his forehead. "Though...Can't shake a sense of, déjà vu..."

Cadance's eyes widened as she realised what he meant. That night shortly after Aurora was born, the dream of an alicorn. On instinct she whirled around right before something flashed between them and the other ponies, magic primed to strike. It instantly faded as she realised the flash had come from a teleportation spell. One that quickly faded to reveal a familiar unicorn.

"Mom! Dad!" Aurora called as he span round frantically. On seeing them he relaxed slightly and rushed over, grabbing them both in an embrace. "Oh thank Celestia I made it in time! How bad is it?"

"Bad." Shining grunted, the hug not doing much to help his condition. Aurora quickly relaxed it and looked round before stepping toward the shield. A focused beam of his white magic shot out and connected with it, adding his strength and allowing Cadance to let hers go for now.

"It's still better than in Ponyville..." He told them quietly, bracing himself as a fresh shot from Tantabus hit the shield. With two powerful unicorns talented in shield magic fuelling it, the barrier shrugged it off with minimal difficulty. "At least the rest of the city is still intact."

"So it's as bad as we heard," Shining mused as he looked over at Cadance. She didn't look reassured by the news and now that his senses were coming back to him, he wasn't either. "Is Twily okay?"

"She got off lightly. A lot of ponies are badly hurt though, including Pinkie Pie. Pretty much everything Princess Luna had to spare was sent to Ponyville, it's that bad. Help is coming though."

"And between the three of us, I think we can make a stand against Tantabus," Cadance finished. "After this...I think we need-"

She was cut off as the ground shook again. Moments later an explosion from within the city became visible, almost drowned out by the sounds of mounting panic from the group behind them. All three of them could tell that the blast was roughly the size of a city block and, from their current position, it had been directed at the headquarters of the Crystal Guards. Hopefully nopony had remained there. Before they could even fully turn their heads toward it, there was another flash behind them and the panic reached a crescendo. All three spun round as one, magic primed yet again, before yet another blinding flash filled their vision. Although they had only had a split second to see what was there, the image had been burned into their minds.

Tantabus, all four hooves gripped around the Crystal Heart, shooting them a victorious smirk.

When the flash faded, they had both vanished.

"Aurora?" Cadance immediately asked as she turned to him. Aurora focused his magic and glanced around, trying to focus while Shining went and did his best to prevent a riot breaking out behind them.

"Nothing," He replied sadly, his eyes shifting between brown and pale white. "Even if I could feel more than a few hundred feet, there's just so much interference...So much sadness."

Cadance hesitated as she took in the situation. With Tantabus nowhere in sight, both Shining and Aurora had dropped the shield and put all their attention toward attempting to calm the panicked populace, with little success. The main light now came from lights inside the castle and the fire out in the city, but even that was enough to see the faintest hints of the frozen north starting its inexorable advance. Without the protective energy of the crystal heart, the city had roughly half an hour before being swallowed up by endless ice and snow. The ponies that had suffered through so much were about to lose everything again. Because of Tantabus. There was still a chance to fix this though. She just needed to think...

A spark of light blue ignited at the tip of her horn and wound its way down the grooves before coming to rest on her forehead, leaving glowing magic the colour of ice in its wake. She could feel all she needed to. All she had to do. She would just have to be quick.

"Attention everypony!" She bellowed, her magic carrying her voice across the entirety of Crystal City. Everypony immediately stopped what they were doing and turned her way, her voice the only sound in the city. "The city is no longer in immediate danger. The aggressor has fled and your safety is not at risk. I only leave now to ensure your safety, and that the one responsible realises what happens when you strike at the Crystal Empire!"

"Cadance, what're you...?" Shining started as he moved back toward her. He stopped as her wings shot out, her magic charging so intensely that there were traces of it on her feathers.

The seven pegasi of Sky Wing Squadron Sixteen tightened up their formation and flew faster as they crossed the Equestria-Crystal Empire border. From their elevation they had been able to see the glow of the shield covering the castle. Now it had faded back into darkness and they had to assume the worst, even if there were no signs of active fighting anywhere else in the empire.

"Fifteen minutes, Captain. Orders?" One of the squad called, a lilac stallion holding position at the back.

"Make it ten," The lead replied, a light turquoise mare with an amber and gold mane, before looking back at her team with a confident grin. "Fly fast, hit hard, make sure the castle and royals are secure. Where's lightning gonna strike?"

Before anypony could respond, the sound of an almighty blast drew their attention. A wave of light blue energy was spreading out from the location of Crystal City, illuminating a massive area as it passed harmlessly through everything in its way. A figure trailing the same energy shot skyward at the same time, leaving a heart shape that expanded in the center of the wave. It rose roughly two thousand feet before shooting off toward the mountains in the north-east, almost faster than they could follow.

"Errr...Captain?" Another member of the flight asked in confusion, a blue-gray mare.

"Wow. Even I couldn't keep up with that...Wings back team, we're getting there in eight!"

Aurora watched as the trail his mother had left faded into the night. He didn't need his magic to know that everypony in a fifty mile radius was doing the same thing, or that he wasn't the only one realising their jaw had dropped. He couldn't blame them either. All these years and even he still had no idea how much power she wielded. It hadn't felt any different to her usual magic either...Had she been subconsciously tapping into her lekli's strength in her drive to protect those she loved?

"Woah..." Shining Armor said quietly as he stared back at the rest of the ponies present. Their reactions mirrored his; stunned silence powerful enough to overcome the fear of imminent icy armageddon.

"Does...Does mom know what she's doing?" Aurora finally asked, drawing Shining's focus back to the situation.

"I'm sure of it. Cadance's magic has been attuned to the Crystal Heart ever since Sombra was defeated. With that much power built up, she can probably follow the heart straight to Tantabus."

"And between this and Ponyville, she has to have been worn down. Physically and magically." Aurora mused, looking back up at the skies. As much as he wanted to believe that she had used enough to make herself easy pickings, he knew now that Tantabus would always have a contingency plan or two. Shining was clearly thinking similarly as he stepped up to his son's side, concern evident in his eyes.

"But is it enough?"

Before he could answer, a glint of light in the direction Cadance had headed caught their attention. The faintest of twinkles amidst the stars. A slightly darker one followed straight after. They both knew what it meant, why they both stared with mounting fear in their hearts.

Cadance was fighting for her life out there. For everypony's.

She was further north than any pony in recorded history. Iced over coastline lay below her that stretched out into boundless ocean, freezing air gnawing at every inch of her body. Even with clear skies and Luna's light shining above her visibility was poor, yet she knew that few other living beings had ever seen the land she had been drawn to.

None of that mattered to Cadance.

Her left wing tucked up and she used the momentum of the right to twist her body into a curled roll, right around the beam of Tantabus' magic that had been aimed at her chest. Even before she straightened out her horn lit up again and she fired a bolt of her own to intercept the follow up strike. The two attacks collided in a blinding flash, momentarily making the area as bright as day. Cadance blinked the light away and pushed herself harder, bordering on the speed of sound as she closed the gap to Tantabus.

A small part of her knew that this had to have been a predetermined move. Teleportation required prior knowledge of the destination and Tantabus must have worked her way up to this area at some point since the battle at the vault. It was a well designed trap she had thrown herself into: Hostile environment, zero chance of help or rescue and an opponent carrying something she couldn't afford to damage, nor leave without. The only advantages she held were an overall higher magic reserve and her affinity with the heart. She could see Tantabus still had her hooves around it and was holding herself in her magic to keep evading. It was slowing her down though, and with the strength of the heart radiating through Cadance as her power surged further, she knew exactly where she needed to aim to avoid it.

As soon as she levelled out she fired again, aiming for her opponent's leg. Tantabus pushed herself sideways in response, almost being caught in the face by Cadance's wing as she shot past. The shockwave in the princesses' wake was far more effective against the unicorn, momentarily overpowering her magic. Tantabus was thrown tumbling backward and was forced to teleport in order to reorient herself, barely maintaining her grip on the heart. Cadance swung herself round as hard as she could, whole body tensing as she fought the g-forces, lining herself up against her target again. Normally the wind chill of flying at such speeds would make the cold unbearable, but her magic had lit a fire within her that spread throughout her body and burned away such troubles. She felt no hesitation, no inhibition, no restriction.

No mercy.

Cadance banked around Tantabus and threw herself into a tight spiral, firing magic back onto the path she had just flown. The combined effect created a whirlwind of energy that surrounded her foe. Even as she fought to maintain her circling she angled her horn and fired rapidly, aiming for Tantabus' legs and joints at a rate of six bolts of magic per second. Anything to weaken her grip on the heart. Tantabus was giving as good as she got though, utilising a mix of subtle shifts in her position and split-second shields to keep her defences raised. Enough to rend this kind of attack fruitless. Cadance gave a growl that was lost in the chaotic dim of wind and magic, steadily tightening her circling and ramping up her attacks. Her horn itself started to glow as her shot eight bolts of magic a second. Ten. Thirteen. At fifteen she finally overloaded Tantabus' defences, burning her right shoulder with a direct hit.

Tantabus yelped in pain at the hit and threw her body into a horizontal position, kicking her hind legs out. The sudden movement caught Cadance in a blind spot and a hoof struck her in the spine. Her whole body momentarily locked up from the pain, forcing her to abandon the attack and straighten herself out. It hurt to move at all but being so magically charged helped numb the pain. She couldn't let her focus wander for a moment, not until the job was done. She flipped herself round in time to see Tantabus teleporting out of sight. Upward, a good ten thousand feet or so. Cadance looked up in time to hear her foe building her strength, even from this distance, before a beam of pure magic bigger than she was shot toward her. It had to be most of what she had left, and that meant there was an opening.

Assuming the idea she'd had worked. Performing this anything less than flawlessly would either alert Tantabus to her intent or result in taking the full force of the attack.

Cadance charged straight toward the beam, firing one of her own as she closed the gap. Her magic was barely able to have any effect on the concentrated magic coming for her, but that was never the intent. Half a second before reaching it she ended the attack and poured all her magic into a shield around her front half. There wasn't even time to hope it would work before her entire world became a storm of teal and black, her ears knowing only the scream of magical energy colliding inches away from them. Her vision blurred as her entire body shook from the effort of flying against a stream of magic that could prove lethal if she stopped for so much as an instant. Even now she could feel her hind legs starting to burn from traces that flickered around the shield and licked against her fur. None of that mattered though, she was making headway.

As Tantabus kept pouring her energy into the attack, Cadance kept fighting through it. She was almost in sensory overload but she knew that she was closing the gap again. Just a few more seconds would be enough to be within reach. The timing for the final piece of this plan needed to be within milliseconds of perfect though. Her focus intensified to the point that the world around her vanished. Just her, her target, and the point she needed to reach. Roughly ten feet before colliding she collapsed her shield and poured every once of magic she could summon into pushing it away from her. The force amplified what would have been a firm push into an all-consuming blast, too close and too quick for the unicorn to evade.

Cadance allowed herself to take a breath as her attack hit dead on, throwing Tantabus backward in an uncontrolled spin, her screams echoing through the night. Despite everything, she was still managing to keep a grip on the Crystal Heart. Cadance didn't even slow down as she pursued, pushing through the mounting pain throughout her body. Her focus lay with the heart, to strike exactly where she needed to in order to get it back. As she closed in again she primed her hoof and pushed her wings harder, boosting forward at full speed right as her hoof struck Tantabus' damaged shoulder. The blow finally forced her to loosen her grip, bringing that hoof off the heart.

With three still to go and already being past her opponent, Cadance tucked her wings in and gripped herself in her magic, pushing her body to its limit as she used it to stop in a heartbeat and launch herself back at Tantabus. Her punch landed square on her target's left flank, weakening her hold but still not enough this time. So she did it again. And again. Each time pushing both of them as hard as she could, determined to keep the pain coming until Tantabus relented. After at least a dozen hits, she saw the hind left leg go limp. Two down. As she pushed herself into the next attack she saw Tantabus finally get her own levitation going again, levelling out and turning to face her.

Their eyes met mid-turn and Cadance realised that she was the one caught out this time, her speed working against her. Even as she opened her wings to try and evade, Tantabus' horn glowed brighter and she ducked her head down slightly. Cadance barely had time to realise it was aimed at her body before searing pain cut into her left side, just missing her legs and wing. As it spread further down, feeling like her entire side was being sliced open, something in the back of her mind came into clarity. A whisper.

Teleport. Suffer.

She didn't know why, but she understood exactly what it meant.

As she felt the blood starting to emerge from her wound, even before she'd fully passed her foe, Cadance's focus suddenly became clear enough to overcome the crippling pain flooding her. She teleported the instant she'd fully passed Tantabus and reappeared fifty feet back from where she had been. Tantabus barely had time to realise what had happened before Cadance slammed into her, wrapping a hoof around her horn to prevent any further sneak attacks. The other got under Tantabus' left foreleg and pried it backward. With three hooves off the Crystal Heart and nothing to hold it in place, it was easy enough to get a grip on it in her magic and pull it away, throwing it skyward. There was more than enough time to catch it and it was better if it was out the way for what she was going to do.

She could feel Tantabus struggling against her, completely outclassed in a physical confrontation yet still trying regardless. Not that it mattered anymore. Cadance tightened her grip and flipped over backward, dive bombing the two of them toward the ground fast enough to finally punch through the sound barrier. She barely heard the sonic boom behind her, her senses were still hazy from before and the latest magic charge she was building wasn't helping. It meant nothing though, the whisper kept repeating the last word over and over, something for her to focus on. They dropped nine and-a-half thousand feet in eight seconds before she let go of Tantabus and flared her wings out. Her foe dropped away quickly as she bled off speed and unleashed everything she had left from her horn.

Tantabus barely had time to see it coming before she was struck in the side and pinned against the ferocious torrent. She screamed in pain and fury before the magic smashed into the ground, kicking up a colossal plume of dust, snow and magical fire. It reached so high that Cadance was forced to fly out of its way and watch the blast reach several hundred feet further toward the heavens. She was tired, freezing, in pain all over and fairly certain she was losing a lot of blood, but she had won.

Kill.

The whisper forced its way to the front of her mind, like the tainted promise of a snake-oil salespony.

Finish it. Stop her. NOW!!!

Cadance looked down at where Tantabus had landed, the site still completely obscured by smoke and darkness. She couldn't see anything that indicated if her foe was still alive, but everything she had been told left her with the feeling it would take more than that to kill a lekli. She could also make out her own blood, running down the length of her left side from a shallow yet precise cut inflicted by magic. For all Tantabus had done, she deserved to be destroyed. It would be so easy...

"No..."

It took a moment to realise that that was her own voice, from her own mouth. She knew that she meant it instantly. Sunset Shimmer was still a prisoner of Tantabus, there still had to be a chance to save her. In the end, Cadance knew that it wasn't even a choice.

She was the princess of love and unity, she would not kill a helpless mare in cold blood.

The whisper faded from her mind, replaced by the familiar sensation of her connection to the Crystal Heart. In the heat of battle, she hadn't even realised she'd stopped feeling it. It was falling now though, very close to her position. As she pushed herself skyward to grab it, she heard a momentary flash of magic below her. A look backward confirmed nothing was coming her way. Tantabus had fled again, but right now her kingdom and her ponies mattered more. It was relatively easy to reach the heart and catch it in her magic. With what focus she could still maintain, she thought of home and teleported away. In an instant the freezing air was replaced by the warmth of the city, the nothingness by the resting place of the heart, the air by solid ground that three of her hooves were suddenly too weak for.

Cadance yelped as she collapsed onto her wound, just managing to keep the heart held aloft in her magic. For a brief moment her view became less hazy and she could see where she needed to aim. Then it was disrupted again as her ears were filled with a city's worth of ponies erupting into a mix of cheer for their queen's success and shock at her condition. She felt a hoof under her chin lifting her head, letting her see her husband's face again. She'd never seen Shining look so scared in her life, but right now she was simply too glad to see him at all.

"Place it." She panted, managing to smile even as she looked to the heart. Shining nodded and his horn glowed pink, taking the crystal heart in his telekinesis. Within moments it had been returned to its rightful place, the light returning to it as it picked up on the emotions of the ponies around it.

"Mom!" Aurora cried as he rushed over, checking her over. "Oh this, this looks really serious. Somepony get a doctor, now!"

"I'm all right," Cadance told him quietly, draping her good hoof over his back and hugging him gently. She'd managed to contain the fear she'd never see either of them again at the time, but now it was over, she couldn't stop the tears from coming. "I'm here son. We did it."

"We did," Shining commented as he came back over and kneeled down next to them, his gaze momentarily out beyond Crystal City before he flashed a smile. "You're amazing hun. And congratulations, Aurora. That's your first time helping to save the Crystal Empire."

"I got lucky. It was easier than I thought." Cadance admitted, managing a small chuckle. Normally she might have chastised her husband for a comment like that in such a serious situation, but right now it was much easier to simply lie there and enjoy the reminders that she was alive and successful.

As she heard other ponies approaching to give her medical attention, her gaze turned back to the heart as Shining and Aurora carefully took her in their magic to carry her out. In that moment, she was glad that they were too close to allow anypony in the crowd a good look, because there was no way she could hide the shock that was piercing her. Though the heart hadn't changed outwardly, she could feel the main emotions that were charging it. Princess Celestia had been very thorough when explaining to her how each emotion affected the balance, why love and joy needed to be so prevalent within the empire.

Now, fear had taken hold.

Not too far away, on a mountain ledge that provided a perfect view of the city, a lone unicorn watched and waited. Almost every patch of fur had been scuffed, torn or burned, her legs shaking from exertion, but a victorious grin on her face. It only grew as she saw the energy of the Crystal Heart rise up through the castle and launch from the main spire before blasting outward, clearing away the last storm clouds that had rolled in. Unlike the usual rainbow colours it usually sported, this one was a pale blue. The illumination it provided also showed several pegasi reaching the city from the south. The paltry help Equestria could provide when it was already too late.

"All as planned," Tantabus said to herself before her lip curled in contempt. "Almost. Now I have to track down the Tomb of the Gods again. Still, at least I have you to cheer me up before we truly get started.

As she took a breath to chuckle at the prospect of what came next, her whole body tensed and the sound died in her throat. Before she could even question it, her pupils rapidly dilated and she found she wasn't in control of the body anymore.

"You..." Sunset growled, head drooping as she fought to stay in her own body. "...Monster..."

It didn't last more than a few seconds before her eyes were clenched shut and Tantabus had taken control back.

"Oh please, if anything you should be grateful toward me. After all, I'm the only reason you're still alive," She commented flatly. "I shall deal with this...insubordination later. For now, we need somewhere nopony will think to look for us. Or want to...We're going home."

And with that, she was gone.

Author's Note

Well, the first chapter to come out after my third anniversary of starting to work on the Quickverse and it's one of my favourites of the whole saga. Some lucky timing on that one.

Fun factoid: Despite its position toward the end, this was the first actual set piece I came up once I'd settled on the idea of a whole AU. I got inspiration from this absolutely gorgeous piece by Dormin and it all snowballed from there. On the off chance you ever see this, my thanks for that inspiration once again!

Chapter 18 - The Scars of Success

October 29th

"So I think that...Hey, you awake?"

Trixie reached out and shook Scootaloo's shoulder gently, flinching slightly as the pegasus jumped in her seat. She had been staring at the opposite wall for several minutes now, only blinking on occasion. It wasn't that there was anything of worth there, just the bland wall of a hospital waiting room that it felt like they had all had to stare at far too many times recently. Trixie understood why she was so quiet, so unfocused and weary. She herself had only suffered some minor damage to her house during the attack on Ponyville, that made her one of the luckiest ones.

"Yeah, sorry," Scootaloo replied as she rubbed her bad eye, shifting in her seat to face Trixie. "Was just thinking...Didn't see mom for over fourteen years, then a few months later, this. It's not something you can express, coming that close to never making peace with her before it was too late."

"I understand," Trixie said gently. "I was never that close with my father, but it still hurt to learn he'd passed on. Of course, it wasn't in anything like this..."

"And you probably never lost friends at the same time. Derpy, Quick, Archer..."

"Wait, but," Trixie raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But Quick's still alive isn't he?"

"In a sense..." Scootaloo sighed sadly and looked down, dragging a hoof along the edge of her chair. "He's not the same pony anymore though. Two days and I don't think I ever saw him go fifteen minutes without either crying or blaming himself. Apparently he's among those who've been recommended for extra psychiatric support, probably already in Canterlot for it."

"Poor guy. He was nice." Sweetie Belle's voice came from the other side of the room. The two looked over to see her waiting by the door, looking down in thought.

It took a moment for Trixie to remember why the other unicorn was there, having gotten so caught up in her efforts to keep her friend distracted from her dark thoughts. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were here as support for Apple Bloom, she was here as support for Scootaloo. That was a lot harder than it sounded at the moment. She couldn't explain it, but for the past few days she had been plagued by a lingering sense of dread. Everypony she'd talked to seemed to be going through something similar as well. Of course the attack on Ponyville had left all of Equestria shaken, but everything had been peaceful since then. Repair and reconstruction efforts had already begun outside and the news that the Crystal Empire had managed to fight off a surprise attack by Tantabus had been invaluable for morale.

Despite all this, nopony seemed to be smiling. She couldn't blame them either.

Once all of Ponyville and the surrounding area had been searched, the final death toll from the attack was fifty-two ponies, plus another twelve lost at Crystal City. Hundreds more had been seriously injured or affected, one of Equestria's symbols of peace had been ravaged and most concerning for most ponies, for the third time in as many weeks an Element of Harmony had been critically injured. It was small wonder that virtually everypony they met looked like this was their darkest day, and it wasn't hard to assume most of Equestria felt the same way.

"So...What were you two talking about?" Scootaloo asked as she straightened up in her seat, looking over at Sweetie Belle.

"Actually, Trixie was mostly talking to you. But you had zoned out." Sweetie admitted, getting up and trotting over to them.

"It was mostly just nervous rambling, nothing you need concern yourself with," Trixie hastily added, shifting awkwardly for a few moments. "There was a point to it though and...Well, you're the only pony I really feel I can say it to right now."

"Call it a hunch but, it's connected to everything that's been happening?" Scootaloo asked as she leaned back, looking over at her friend with concern.

"Yeah..." Trixie looked down and took a deep breath before looking back at the two of them, looking more resolute than she had for some time. "I don't think I'm cut out to keep doing this."

"What?" Sweetie exclaimed in surprise, tilting her head slightly. "You mean saving Equestria? Which you basically did once already."

"Heroism is a young pony's talent," Trixie replied, pausing as Scootaloo put a hoof on her shoulder to support her. "Well, and Twilight's since she's basically immortal. I'm forty-eight years old and struggling to keep up. Also the threats just keep getting bigger and...What do you mean I already did?"

"You were the single most important pony involved in the battle for the Alicorn Amulet. Your illusions were able to fool Tantabus and keep us going when she had us trapped. It would have been over right there without you. I owe you my life, so do Rarity, Aurora and Starlight!"

"Maybe, but let's be honest here. Do you really think it'll turn out that I'm the one who separates Tantabus from Sunset Shimmer, returns her to Princess Luna and saves Equestria?" Trixie countered, shaking her head. "That's Twilight's thing, coming in and saving the day in circumstances that'd probably kill any other pony."

With everything they had seen their sisters and sisters in all but name go through, it was hard for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to argue that point. Twilight had played a direct part in dealing with all seven major threats between Nightmare Moon's rise and the Starlight incident, and the record hadn't been broken so far.

"That's a good thing though," Sweetie said after a few moments. "Twilight's already on the verge of being able to do that, studying almost nonstop. At this rate, she'll be able to deal with Tantabus tomorrow."

"And if she doesn't, then we'll just have to go in and try helping her do it," Scootaloo added. "What'd you think, Trixie. You want to show her that you're better at bailing her out?"

Trixie looked back and forth between them, still looking unconvinced. Before they could attempt to continue, the door opened and Apple Bloom stepped inside. She was clearly trying to put a brave face on, though her damp forelegs and bloodshot eyes gave it away. Her fellow crusaders instantly got up and moved over to her. Trixie got up as well but hung back.

"How bad is it?" Scootaloo asked gently, hesitant as if she didn't know how to say it. Apple Bloom looked over at her flatly before managing a weak smile.

"Well, coulda been a whole lot worse," She replied, her voice sounding rough. There was no denying just how much she'd been struggling to keep her composure. "Good news...Pinkie's still alive."

The other three all made sounds of relief, the sight making Bloom smile a little more. Nopony had been allowed to see Pinkie since the night of the attack, her condition being described as too delicate to allow visitors. Most ponies had feared the worst, considering it a miracle she had survived the explosion at all.

"It's...Not good though, is it?" Trixie asked cautiously. Scootaloo shot a glare back at her, only for Bloom to raise a hoof and continue.

"Not as good as ah hoped. Part of why I nicknamed her Pinball was cause she bounces back from everything ya throw at her, just an unstoppable ball of joy. She...She hasn't woken up though. The docs have fixed everything they could but...They don't know why...How long it might be. She...She said she wouldn't leave me...Pinkie promised..."

Any further words Apple Bloom had failed her as she buried her head against Sweetie Belle's shoulder, fighting back further despair. Her eyes remained dry though, she didn't have any tears left to shed. The unicorn gently wrapped a hoof around her friend's shoulders, hugging her closely for a minute. Scootaloo came in at the same time and hugged Bloom on her other side.

"Has anypony actually told you she's going to be leaving?" Sweetie asked gently after another minute, waiting for Bloom to lift her head slowly and shake it. "So it's just a worry in your head at the moment?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Do you actually believe it? That Pinkie Pie would just leave without giving you an absolutely foolproof reason she had to break her promise? At the least, without throwing you any kind of party?"

Bloom looked up at her for several long seconds, dawning realisation creeping into her expression. She quickly nodded and hugged her friends in return, managing to smile again slightly.

"You're right. If she knew I was getting all sad because of her, she'd be twitchier than Applejack during a short harvest season. Guess I'll just have to make it up to her when she wakes up..."

Spike couldn't bring himself to look up.

He'd been standing at the foot of the castle he called home for at least twenty-five minutes, simply staring at the entrance that had remained unscathed. The last trace of normality in a world of growing chaos. To look up would see his home, Twilight's kingdom, a symbol for the peace of all ponykind, broken and scarred. To look around would see the same; buildings damaged or destroyed by stray magic, fire and falling debris. As well as all the places where innocent lives had been torn apart or cut short. That was the worst part for him. As terrible as it felt, he knew in his heart that Twilight was feeling the same a hundred-fold and no-one knew just how to help her right now.

He didn't know how he broke his self-inflicted trance, but eventually he straightened up and started to head inside. It was a lot less painful to walk upright at the moment. Fluttershy must have taken lessons in dragon anatomy from Ember, considering just how well she had been able to treat him before. There wasn't much that could be done about lost scales on his shoulder and the whole arm still felt stiff to use, but she had been able to patch him up well otherwise. Even that was just a reminder of how lucky he had gotten though.

"Hey, hold on!" Somepony called to him as he stepped inside the foyer. He paused and looked back to see Peace Walker running in behind him.

"Peace? What's wrong?"

"S-sorry Spike, overreaction," Peace panted as she stopped next to him. "I was keeping a watch on the castle, making sure nopony went in and got hurt. I'd gone for some water and came back to see you heading inside. I thought you were somepony else."

"Don't worry about it," Spike told her as he headed toward the map room, Peace by his side. "So...Is it really that dangerous in here?"

"Not down here, or for somepony as big as you. The library took the worst of it, though I wouldn't risk the third floor until somepony's checked it over."

Spike nodded, looking a lot more sullen at that news. Twilight had spent years gathering rare tomes and ancient scrolls in the castle, both to continue her eternal quest for knowledge and for personal enjoyment. There was no telling how many had been lost for good. The state of the map room didn't help his mood either. He looked down sadly and picked up one of the memory gems that had fallen loose, turning it over in his hands. The imagine within was of the rest of the elements and his younger self back at the Golden Oak Library. He remembered it being from his first birthday since moving to Ponyville, the one that had seen him give into his draconic nature, rampage across town and almost get himself and Rarity killed. The idea that something like that once seemed so significant was enough to bring a weary smile to his face. Sometimes he missed the simplicity of it all.

"You know, I never knew the map could disappear." Peace commented as she walked past him, snapping his from his thoughts. He looked up to see her taking in the round table the cutie map normally rested on. Now though, it was little more than a drab, gray and white crystal table.

"Yeah, it does that," He told her as he came over, placing the gem down on his former throne. "Usually when there's no need of it at the moment...Or if we don't have the ponies to use it."

"Well, we still do in a sense. None of the Elements of Harmony have actually died and we've been through the worst already..." Peace's voice trailed off slightly as she looked up at the root chandelier, her expression momentarily unreadable. "We have to have. Twilight will have a solution soon and by the time Pinkie and Rarity wake up, we'll have sorted Tantabus out and everything will be as close to normal as we can get."

As hopeful as that sounded, Spike knew when a pony was hoping against hope. Peace was being weighed down by just as much as anypony throughout all this, arguably more. She had been repeatedly thrown into some of the worst situations of this crisis, had her husband taken from her by Tantabus and been unable to keep others from suffering the same. All capped by the ever-lingering sense that it all may be for nothing. Combined with everything she had endured in the months before, a lesser pony would have been crushed by such a burden. Even if she was only showing signs of improving on the outside...

"Can I ask you something, slightly personal?" Spike said cautiously. Peace looked over at him and hesitated for a moment, concern momentarily flashing in her eyes.

"Sure..." She replied, still trying to sound as though nothing was wrong.

"Well, I know how much of a strain this kind of thing can be on a pony. Moreso if they're new to it. Do you, have some kind of coping mechanism in place? Or something to focus on for comfort? It helps you stay sane when it feels like the world's falling apart."

Peace looked at Spike thoughtfully, her lower jaw shifting slightly as if she were grinding her teeth. After a few moments she nodded to herself and focused on him again.

"Do you have one too?" She asked. Now it was his turn to look at her in thought, though his response was much quicker.

"I used to think about Rarity. I mean back then I was a kid with a crush, thinking about what I imagined a future would be between us, that was great motivation. Nowadays though, I remember everything that Twilight's worked toward. Twenty years of peace, a harmonious world for all races. I just on what she might still be able to do once that's over, and it steels me to make sure it happens."

"Very noble," Peace commented, smiling slightly before sitting down. "Well, fair's fair. If things get too dark for me, I usually turn to my gods and find a reading that counters my fears. When it's lighter, like it is now, I just focus on my small victories. I'd go crazy if I thought about trying to save everypony in a situation like we all just went through, so I focus on what I did manage to do. I saved quite a few lives by getting them out of the line of fire, I kept the promise about Pinkie that I made to myself...And I stand by my belief. We have to be past the worst."

Spike nodded as he listened. Privately, he wasn't sure what affected him more. That she was able to maintain such a determined, almost naïve outlook after everything that had happened, or that he wished he could share it.

As the world flashed back into existence around him, Aurora sighed in relief at the familiar surroundings of his home. At this point he was more used to arriving at the Crystal Castle via the room of teleportation than the front doors. After the day he was having, such a welcoming space was just what he needed. It didn't look as though he'd be getting any time to relax though, if the pair of ponies waiting for him at the entrance to the room were any indicator.

"Afternoon, Flurry," He said calmly as he approached. The figure on the left, a white unicorn mare with light blue eyes, red-violet mane with icy blue highlights and a snowflake held in a pink glow for a cutie mark. "Any news?"

"Only related to your task, my Prince," Flurry Heart replied, bowing her head briefly before motioning to the other pony. A golden yellow crystal stallion with amber mane, green eyes and cutie mark of a diamond under a magnifying glass. "This is Citrine. I thought he could be of help due to his former connections to Onyx Dawn."

"Former," Citrine pressed, sounding nervous at that part of his background being brought up in the presence of royalty. "I may have agreed with their ideal of an independent empire but I walked away in the face of their more recent, radical views."

"If only more ponies were so rational," Aurora replied, smiling reassuringly. Utilising his magic would probably unnerve the stallion more and he couldn't afford to lose any support right now. "I'm glad of your help. Both of you."

"Of course. Though next time you see them, pass those thanks on to Applejack and Fluttershy," Flurry explained, smiling over at Citrine. "They're the only reason we're even talking anymore."

"I will. Now, are there any fresh developments I should know about before we continue?"

"O-oh, yes!" Flurry quickly straightened up and bowed her head again, immediately returning to her duty as a Royal Aide. "Queen Cadance and King Armor requested that you meet them in the throne room as soon as you returned."

"Alright, let's go," Aurora said as he lead them out into the hallways, the two others flanking him. "So, Citrine, I hope you don't mind if I get to the point. The assistance Princess Celestia sent only made things worse, didn't it?"

"I'm afraid so," Citrine replied, sounding disappointed. "If this attack was deliberately timed with the one in Ponyville, whoever's behind this got it almost perfect. We know now that Ponyville was attacked first and I get why they sent all their medical aid there, but most ponies didn't learn that until dawn. That left Onyx Dawn himself hours where he was free to convince ponies that Equestria knew about the attack, yet refused to send more than a token group when it mattered."

"I feared as much..." Aurora sighed, glancing out of a window as they continued on. The view was of the main thoroughfare through the west of the city, thousands of ponies currently gathered upon it.

The vast majority were Onyx Dawn supporters, emboldened by their interpretation of recent events and their misguided desire to make the Crystal Empire an isolated superpower. Their vigorous protests had drawn the ire of ponies that still supported Cadance and Shining Armor, resulting in a counter-protest at the same site. Tensions were flaring and the surviving sections of the Crystal Guard had been sent in for peacekeeping efforts, backed up by Lightning Squadron. Equestria Defence Force members being involved risked exacerbating the situation further but there wasn't much choice. The guards were weakened from their losses during the attack and the destruction of their headquarters, they needed all the help they could get to keep things from turning ugly. Aurora himself had been down there to try and defuse the situation but it had been of little use.

"If it's any comfort, they still lack the support to attempt anything big," Citrine continued. "Even Onyx himself knows that he's up against two of the most powerful unicorns in the world and an alicorn. He would effectively need the whole empire on his side to overcome that by force."

"And how many ponies does he have backing him?" Flurry asked cautiously.

"At a rough estimate...Between twenty and thirty-five thousand ponies in Crystal City are supportive of his goals by now."

Aurora's frown deepened as he hastened his pace. He'd been going through the numbers in his mind ever since he'd arrived at the protest site and knew that his parents were waiting for his opinion on the situation. As he reached the doors to the throne room he quickly motioned for the others to stay with him before opening them with his magic.

Although the castle itself had managed to avoid any damage, his parents hadn't been so lucky, the extent of their struggle evident as he looked up at their thrones. Shining Armor looked even more exhausted than he had in the past months, the strain and magic wear of the night before catching up with him hard. Cadance was in even worse shape, resting on a plush cushion in front of her throne as she was unable to climb onto the seat in her current state. Her wounded side had been stitched up and healing magic applied to it, but it was looking at though the scar would remain with her. And yet she was refusing to abandon her duties when she was needed most, supporting her subjects in this time of crisis. Aurora couldn't help but be amazed by her determination.

"Aurora," Shining said as they came in, getting up from his throne and stepping down to equal ground. "It didn't go well, did it?"

"Wish I could say otherwise," Aurora told him. "Flurry Heart and Citrine have a better understanding of the overall situation, but Onyx Dawn has a lot more support than we thought."

"Then, tell us how you see it..." Cadance asked with concern, watching from her position. "Do you think he'll try anything stronger? Does the Crystal Empire risk civil war?"

Aurora closed his eyes and thought about his response. His mind raced with the possible variations of how this situation could proceed or escalate. In his heart though, he knew very few of them were viable.

"I think not," He eventually replied. "Onyx likely wouldn't dare attempt a forceful coup against you, mother, since being unable to walk unaided doesn't affect your magic. It would basically take everypony in the empire for him to have the numbers to attempt something against all three of us. If he tried anything political, then his numbers are even less. Rainbow Falls is completely supportive of our alliance with Equestria and we're here. Any theoretical separatist movement would be left with no safe haven but the frozen north. His only chance of an uprising in that state would require the support of the yaks, and I highly doubt Chieftain Yona would look kindly upon him disrupting the peace of her lands like that. I believe we're safe for now."

"I'm glad you see it that way too. You've got a good head on you." Shining told him, smiling the smile of a proud father.

"Only because you taught me well." Aurora admitted.

"Still, it's a relief to hear you say it," Cadance replied, looking toward Flurry and Citrine. "Though, we'd still need to hear the exact state of things before taking any course of action.

As they stepped forward to tell her about their experiences, Aurora looked down slightly and took a slow breath. His parents were doing their utmost to counter the negative effects of the Crystal Heart and return it to its former glory while preventing the mounting tension in the empire from getting worse. He had to do the same when it came to stopping Tantabus. Even if they succeeded, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was going up against increasingly impossible odds. Everypony had already sacrificed so much, and yet to save Equestria it seemed like there would need to be even greater ones to come.

Chapter 19 - Contingency Plans

Twilight gritted her teeth slightly as she paced through the halls of Canterlot Castle. She should have moved to do this days ago. As much as her friends had done their best to support her, she knew that all those deaths were her fault. Because she hadn't thought of this while there was still time. Just as importantly, doing this now meant that Pinkie's sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing.

In the aftermath of the attack on Ponyville, it had taken far longer than it should have for her to snap out of her despair. Even if she had traumatised herself over how she had handled Starlight Glimmer all those years ago, she should have known better than to let it get to her like that. Every single one of those lives that had been changed or ended by the events of the past few weeks...She owed it to them to lead clearly, plan with finality, and make sure the darkness Tantabus was spreading would be contained for good. Up until now, her efforts had been focused on coming up with a spell to safely separate Tantabus from Sunset Shimmer and force her to return to Luna. The hard part was the doing it safely, yet she had effectively sacrificed dozens of lives to the mere chance that she could save one. She couldn't afford to waste any more time.

Twilight furrowed her brow further and increased her pace, glancing aside to check the small chest held under her wing. Deep Note had brought it all to Canterlot as per her instructions the morning after the attack, the most important key to their success right now. Every last piece of her studies and everything relevant Pinkie and Apple Bloom had recovered from her library was inside, everything needed for this part of the plan. The basis of the spell she'd made was written down, now she just needed to see if the most powerful magic user alive would be able to improve it. If not...It was ready to use, ready to stop more lives being taken no matter what. Sunset had been a student of both herself and Celestia, she understood the value of self-sacrifice.

Twilight straightened up and tucked the chest closer to her as she approached the doors to the throne room. The doors were closed and a pair of guards were standing on duty in front of them. Her mood sank slightly further as she got close enough to see one of them was Iron Vixen. She was a living reminder that even with all the names permanently etched into the princess' mind, there were more that had fallen before she had even become a part of this. Even more names she needed to learn, and avenge.

"Captain," She said as she approached. Both guards saluted her before returning to attention again. "Are the princesses available right now?"

"Yes your highness," Iron replied. Though the mare maintained an air of professionalism, Twilight could tell she was fighting the strain of being forced into command. "They're currently between court sessions, but you were cleared to enter at any time."

"Thank you, and don't worry. We're close to sorting this out."

"I hope so..." Iron said quietly, her façade slipping for a moment as she fought back a sigh.

Twilight shot her a sympathetic look before moving forward, opening the doors in her magic and slipping inside. It was the first time she had been inside the throne room since Tantabus had jumped into Sunset and the memories sent an involuntary shudder through her bidy. The scars the room bore from that day were still evident. Although the walls, pillars and roof had been repaired and the debris cleared away, they had not yet been covered to match the rest of the room. What was left of the stained glass windows had been removed as well. As bad a state as the throne room was in though, it was nothing compared to the sisters at the far end of the room.

Celestia was sat at the base of the steps to the twin thrones, eyes shut in focus, mane still, a trail of magic running from her horn to Luna's chest. The younger alicorn was slumped in her sister's arms, side rising and falling gently as if she was peacefully asleep. She looked as though she hadn't slept for a month, and Celestia looked as though she'd had her share of sleepless nights too. The sight of the two, normally so serene and unflappable, reduced to holding each other like frightened fillies punched a hole straight through Twilight's heart. She had enough of a grip left to close the doors behind her before the chest slipped out from her wing and clattered to the floor.

"Who...?" Celestia started, opening an eye and turning toward the door. On seeing who it was she relaxed again. "Oh, Twilight."

"I...I'm sorry." Twilight said quietly as she remained rooted in place.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Luna suddenly told her, lifting her head up. She almost looked as though she carried more of a fire in her than her sister at present. "You've been doing more to try and save me than anypony."

Celestia nodded as the thread of magic she was casting trailed off, her mane returning to normal after several seconds. Somehow she looked even more weary than she had before. Luna seemed to be carrying herself similarly to how she normally did, even being the one helping the other back into a sitting position.

"I..." Twilight looked down for a moment as she tried to think of what she actually wanted to say. The fallen chest caught her eye and she picked it up in her magic, bringing it up to her chest before looking back at the princesses. "Does it hurt?"

"No," Celestia told her reassuringly, managing to smile as she straightened up. "While it does put some strain on my magic, such a spell won't-"

"Sister..." Luna interjected, placing a hoof on Celestia's back and looking up at her with a look of resignation. "I know, that you want to believe everything will be alright. But we can't lie to ourselves, or to Twilight. She needs to know just how serious it is."

Twilight didn't need to say anything. She barely even started thinking about it before she was in front of the princesses, eyes shining with mounting concern. How long did they have? Was it too late already? Had the cost of her stalling become too high? She forced each and every question to one side for now and focused again. This wasn't the time to panic.

"I was trying to keep the pressure as low as I could." Celestia admitted, shifting in place.

"After everything that's happened, I appreciate it," Twilight replied as she placed the chest down. "But, I'm with Luna on this one. How bad is it?"

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed as she weighed up the situation, Twilight and Luna silently watching and waiting. After a few moments she opened them again and nodded, sitting down and focusing her gaze. She wasn't trying to hide the sadness in her eyes as she cast a bubble of silence over the three of them.

"The truth is, we underestimated the damage the jump could cause. We'd both seen them happen in the old empire, but anypony suffering it always died quickly. We believed that lekli withdrawal did damage through the pressure it put the body under but...It's more like a disease, eating away at an alicorn's strength and weakening their magic until they can't sustain themselves."

Celestia squeezed her eyes shut as she finished speaking, her voice wavering. Twilight realised that she had been trying to lie to herself about this as well. That she didn't want to admit she was fighting a losing battle where defeat meant losing her sister, and possibly much more.

"We've been able to stave off the worst," Luna reassured her quickly. "Regular magic infusions have halted its advance for now. The bad news is that Celestia is the only one with magic strong enough to be useable. It drains her as well. The amount needed to keep me like this can't be recovered at the same pace, so it's not an endless supply either."

Celestia merely nodded in confirmation.

"I see..." Twilight commented quietly as she took all this in. "Then, please tell me. How long do we have?"

"As things are...Four months," Luna continued, looking over sadly at Celestia. She looked more solemn with every word spoken. "In truth though, we simply can't keep things as they are. Not if Celestia is to maintain the strength required to raise the sun. It'll only be a few weeks before the amount I can receive isn't enough to help anymore."

"I came too close to losing you forever once," Celestia suddenly interjected, head lowered and mane covering her face. "I don't know if I can do it again..."

In the blink of an eye, everything made a lot more sense to Twilight. Why her former mentor was so distressed by the steadily deteriorating situation, why her sister was more determined to stay strong, why they were both doing their best to face the very possible reality before them. Their fight was every bit as difficult as hers. At the back of her mind, the ever rational part of her realised that they needed every advantage that they could get too, which made her presence here a blessing in disguise. She glanced down at the chest she was still holding and brought it forward.

"You may not have to," She told them as she opened it up. "I put all my free time into this."

"And this is?" Luna asked as she lifted a scroll from the assortment of items inside and studied it.

"A first pass at creating a spell to separate Tantabus from Sunset and safely return her to you."

Celestia slowly lifted her head again at those words, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She slowly leaned in to look at it over Luna's shoulder, eyes rapidly darting through the weave of magic laid out on the scroll.

"It should be able return Tantabus to you without her escaping," Twilight continued. "Although this version requires a highly inefficient amount of magic to cast, and Sunset would be unlikely to survive. I was hoping to find a way to refine it to save her and return you to normal but, I wasn't aware just how badly time wasn't on our side. With your magic, you might have better luck improving it quickly."

"This is..." Celestia commented as she finished reading through it. It may have been wishful thinking on Twilight's part, but her movements seemed to have a little more energy to them. "You made this from scratch? I believe it could work."

"And with some effort, we should be able to work on it as you hoped," Luna added, smiling slightly. "Some more delicate spell weaving, making it akin to magic surgery, should limit the damage to Sunset. Strengthening it would also limit Tantabus' resistance and avoid untoward side effects."

"Alright, Twilight. We will put our all into this," Celestia told her as she relaxed further, smiling softly. "Once our courts for the day have ended, we shall begin at once."

Twilight allowed herself to smile and nodded, passing the chest over to them. As the sisters ended the bubble of silence and moved back toward their thrones, she kept running through everything she now knew about the current situation. Despite the advances, the real possibility of a way to finish this, the doubts and fears just wouldn't leave her. There wasn't much else to be done at present though and staying would delay the royal court, likely making ponies even more uneasy at the disruption. With that, she made her farewells and promises to continue doing her part before teleporting away. It would be easy to assume she was heading back to Ponyville to continue the fight. In truth, she had something else to check on first. Something that could prove even more important.

As the world returned to focus around her, Twilight shivered as a ferocious cold bit into her suddenly. She was standing on a mountain ledge that seemed to be more ice than rock, a barely visible pathway leading back around the mountain and to the west. While this area was technically part of the territory of Yakyakistan, not even they were hardy enough to venture this deep into the Yaket Mountain Range. She had only learned of this path by sheer chance during one of her exchanges of information with the then-newly crowned Chieftain Yona. That morsel of trivia learned years ago had actually proven a blessing to her, in the way of revealing the existence of the cave she now stood before.

She quickly moved inside, out of the worst of the wind and cold. It was cramped inside, barely wide enough for two ponies side by side and she was forced to duck her head to keep her horn from scraping the ceiling. Twenty feet inside, she stopped and looked down at a pile of rocks that had fallen from the roof, blocking the way too much for her to advance further. She didn't need to though. She lifted some of the larger rocks at the base off to one side and quietly sighed in relief. The box she had left buried there was still untouched. A simple leather case, the kind most ponies would use for larger pieces of jewellery. Twilight glanced back as if she expected something to be there, watching the cave entrance for several seconds before looking back down at the box and opening it.

She didn't touch it, didn't move toward it. She merely stared at it, losing track of time as her eyes remained locked on the old world relic inside. She'd been on the receiving end of its power, heard firsthoof accounts of what it felt like to be under it's domination. Yet...Such strength could be enough for her to overcome Tantabus without risking any more of her friends' lives. Her will was strong enough to suppress what lay within, remain herself as she ended this crisis. She wouldn't be where she was now without incredible willpower. Her hoof slowly reached out, ready to embrace her duty to her home, her friends and family...

And brought it back down to the ground.

"No," Twilight quietly told herself, shaking her hoof as if it might dispel the allure that had fallen over it. "Have faith."

She quickly closed the box again and placed the rocks back over it, getting up and turning away before she could risk such thoughts coming back. She knew in her heart that it would be the wrong decision. Her friends always came through for each other when they needed it most, and now was another of those times. Her hooves shook slightly as she moved back to the cave exit and took several deep breaths to calm herself. There would be no need to take even greater risks like that so soon. Celestia and Luna would improve her spell. Then they would all find Tanabus, free Sunset and make everything right again.

"You don't need it...Rainbow Dash had it right. Since when do we ever fail when together?"

"You don't need this...This defective body. Costing you easy victories over and over."

Tantabus growled to herself as she paced through the rock tunnels that had become her temporary hideout. She had no idea who had created the structure that encompassed them, especially since it was located deep in lands nopony would ever tread. To a regular pony, the area was nothing but hundreds of kilometres of dry rocks, great crevasses in the earth and the taint of dark magic everywhere. Personally, she found it comforting to embrace the darkness around her, utilise it to bolster her power and remind her of home. It had also come in handy for keeping her strength up, letting her keep teleporting away to forage and heal the wounds Cadance had inflicted without any strain on her magic.

"How can you even look at yourself and claim you've accomplished anything like this?" She continued as she entered her 'bedroom', a slightly more spacious area that she'd gathered some straw in to sleep on. "You're supposed to be the best of the defect race and you were utterly devastated by a fake alicorn that would barely pass for a slave in proper circumstances! Now hold still."

Tantabus sat down on her bedding and closed her eyes as her horn lit up, the aura gathering around a burned patch on her back. When her eyes opened again, Sunset was placed back in control. She hissed in pain as all her senses came back to her at once, including the searing sensation of rough healing magic working at the burn. It had been like this ever since the battle in the Crystal Empire. Every time there was a painful part of the healing process, she was given back control of her own body just so Tantabus wouldn't have to feel it. A small part of her cursed the durability the lekli brought; Facing everything they had endured alone would have killed her a hundred times over by now. That was starting to feel like a preferable alternative.

After several seconds the healing was done, the skin back to normal and a thin coat of fur covering it. Almost her entire body had been treated like this by now, only the lightest injuries being left. As soon as the magic faded her body lurched forward as Tantabus retook control without a moment's pause.

"Oh don't go soft on me now. This is nothing compared to what Vaeac will do to you if you're found," She commented coldly as she stretched out. "All the chaos, all those deaths, the spread of fear and darkness through the crystal heart. As far as ponies know, that's all on you."

'You don't know them then.'

That annoying whisper in her mind, the only influence Sunset had when not in control, was starting to grate at Tantabus at this point. She was wrong of course, but she clung to her misguided convictions as if they were as vital as air. The sooner she could find a way to either boost her strength further or get into the Tomb of the Gods, the sooner she could consume this irritant and truly have a body of her own again. One that she would take further than any of her kind before it. She would unlock the secrets her 'sister' held, become a true alicorn again, and spread her dominance across the entire world.

All she needed was some more time. Time to decide where her next strike would do the most damage, and time to get back into fighting condition. Then...Everypony would pay.

Chapter 21 - The Dead Lands

November 2nd

For the first time she could remember. Rainbow Dash could feel the twinge of pre-mission nerves running through her body. In theory she had nothing to worry about. She'd been on missions with the Wonderbolts when they were both a solo team and part of the EDF that had been more dangerous than this, yet she'd never hesitated for so much as an instant. She'd flown with friends that whole time too, seen them get hurt even. On the face of it, there was no difference between those and her upcoming mission. Nothing more than a simple, no engagement recon job. There was one key difference though; this time she was going in alongside a member of her family. There were few things that legitimately scared her anymore, but the thought of something happening to somepony so close to her because of her actions was near the very top.

Twilight. Fluttershy. Applejack. Pinkie. Rarity. Scootaloo. Even as the Element of Loyalty, she viewed each and every one of them with as much familial bond as she did Bow and Windy, and would do anything to ensure they safety. That was why she found herself silently dreading what was to come. There was no longer any guarantee that she would be able to keep them safe, even if she might be going through Tartarus alongside them before the crisis was over.

Rainbow sighed softly to herself as she sat up on her bed. Aurora and Scootaloo had agreed to meet at her house before heading out for their recon mission in the Badlands. In truth, she'd asked for that because there was something she needed to do first. The rest of her time after the previous day's meeting had been spent collecting her thoughts and thinking of anything that she could do to give them an edge if they ran into some dangerous creature in the region. Or worse, Tantabus really was waiting for them out there. As for this morning, she'd simply been enjoying the benefits her home had to offer. After everything she'd faced so far, there was a funny feeling in the pit of her heart. Like one way or another, she wouldn't get another chance.

At least she could still think of a positive, even for such a worrying prospect. She knew from experience that if she couldn't use her cloud home anymore, Dumb-Bell and Thunderlane would take good care of it.

"Hey, sis." Scootaloo's voice suddenly came from the window. Rainbow looked up quickly and over toward it, seeing the mare in question hovering right outside. She was also wearing a set of saddlebags loaded up with provisions and medical supplies, likely just a case of better safe than sorry.

"Heya squirt." She replied, getting up and motioning for her to come in.

Scootaloo clambered through the opening and quickly tucked her wings in as she tried to land without going straight through the floor. As far as she'd come in the last few months, cloudwalking still didn't come naturally after years of keeping her hooves on the ground. Rainbow quickly wrapped a hoof around her chest and slowed her landing enough that her hooves only sank into the floor slightly.

"Sorry, still getting the hang of that," Scootaloo said sheepishly as she stood back up, adjusting her posture back to normal. In an instant she was back to her usual self, knowing Rainbow wouldn't bother her about it. "Okay, we ready to go?"

"Not quite," Rainbow told her, trying not to giggle at her sister's look of confused disappointment. "Aurora'll be here in about ten minutes. There was something I wanted to show you before we got going."

Scootaloo tilted her head in surprise but simply nodded, rather than press for an immediate explanation like she used to. Rainbow moved over toward the far wall of her room, a surprisingly modest space for memorabilia of her accomplishments. A row of pictures lined the wall, mixed between group photos of Rainbow with the other elements and those of her career, from her flight team back at the Wonderbolts Academy all the way through to the former Task Force Harmony. Medals and rank insignias were placed on a shelf just below them and a chest sat on the floor under it all. It was this that Rainbow went to, opening it up and rummaging inside for a few moments before motioning for Scootaloo to join her.

"I've had a few things I've been keeping safe over the years, ready for the day you were able to start flying. Not that I wouldn't have given you them in the end. I've just been waiting for the right moment and, well this certainly feels like the time to pass on this one."

"Pass on what?" Scootaloo asked, her curiosity piqued by the sense of pride in her sister's voice.

Rainbow simply grinned and pointed into the chest. Scootaloo looked in at what was being pointed out and her jaw dropped slightly. Lying folded at the top of the pile inside was a Wonderbolts uniform. Not just any, but the one Rainbow had worn when she first became a full member, and the last version before the team had become part of the Equestria Defence Force. Even the most determined collectors in Equestria were hard pressed to get their hooves on something like this. She already knew exactly why it was being given to her though.

"I double checked the measurements and it should fit," Rainbow told her with a smile. "I'm a bit too tall to wear it nowadays, but it'll give you a chance to be a wingpony with the best of the best."

Scootaloo stared down at the uniform for several seconds before looking back up at Rainbow, small tears starting to form in her eyes. Without warning she lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around the older mare's chest, hooking her chin over her shoulder. Rainbow smiled more and hugged her in return, enjoying the embrace enough to suppress the lingering doubts and fears. However briefly it might be for.

"All these years and you're STILL the best big sis in Equestria." Scootaloo said quietly, her voice filled with enough love to keep a changeling fed for a month.

"Don't worry about it. You earned this," Rainbow told her gently, hugging her a little tighter before letting it go, her attitude shifting back to normal before the moment of clinginess could be noticed. "So, you wanna get this on and see if you're fit for your first flight with the squadron?"

As he teleported onto the cloud that made up the ground outside Rainbow Dash's home, Aurora made sure to keep himself levitated for a second until he was certain his cloudwalking spell was working properly. Once he was satisfied and let himself down, he felt out through his sensory magic to check the other two were inside. As he'd expected, there was a gentle mix of anticipation and nerves nearby, but the huge outpouring of joy he was picking up from one of them caught him out. At the same time though, it boosted his spirits at a time when he needed it more than he'd care to admit.

"I'm here, Crash! Scootaloo! You ready to go?" He called out to them, letting his magic fade as he did. As welcome as that positive aura was to take in, he couldn't let it get so strong that it became overwhelming. Optimism but all well and good but he wasn't sure just what to expect in the next few minutes and he needed to stay realistic if he was going to work at his best.

"On our way!" Rainbow called back from inside. A minute later the front door opened and she stepped out to meet him.

She was looking even more confident than usual, stretching her wings out and using the motion to adjust a pair of saddlebags on her back. She quickly stepped aside once she was out of the door and tucked her wings in to reveal Scootaloo behind her. The orange of her coat was almost completely covered up with the uniform of a Wonderbolt and she was carrying herself with a newfound confidence. A mare that had been unable to do more than briefly hover a year ago now looked every inch like an elite flier. The uniform was a little loose on her, but she could still easily pass for a Wonderbolt. Aurora found himself staring in amazement for a moment. Even if he hadn't known her until recently, he was fully aware of just how much this meant to her. To them both.

"Wow. You're really going all out for this." He commented with a small smile.

"You know it." Scootaloo replied as she looked over herself, unable to keep a full grin off her face. That explained all the positive emotion he'd been sensing. This close to her, he would probably be able to pick it up again if he just willed himself to do so.

"I'd say not to get overexcited over a mundane job, but we used to do the occasional recon work too." Rainbow told her, watching with a contented yet cautious look.

Aurora chuckled softly at the double meaning. At the same time, he had the briefest pang of recollection and a moment of wondering just how Ymir was doing. He let it pass quickly though, focusing on the job he had to do in the present.

He motioned for Rainbow and Scootaloo to come up to him and focused his magic, fixating on a mental image of the photo Twilight had shown him before setting out. As soon as the pair of pegasi were by his side he widened the range of his teleportation spell and everything went white for the three of them. As the flash faded they could see they were now standing on a small, sun blasted plateau. The ground was rough, brown rock and the view in almost every direction showed there was nothing else in sight. To the north was the beginnings of the rocky land giving way to grass plains, while the ends of several gorges were visible to the south. The whole area gave off the impression that life simply stopped at the edges of the plains.

"Wel-" Aurora started to say, only to gag and reel backwards. It was only Rainbow's lightning reflexes getting a hold on his leg that kept him from potentially stumbling off the plateau.

He couldn't even envy the others for not going through what he was. He couldn't gather his thoughts enough for that. Peace Walker had said that this region was so thick with dark magic that he would be able to taste it. With his heightened affinity for magic, he was practically breathing it, almost as much dark magic in the air as oxygen. Every millimeter of his horn was picking up on the lingering darkness that was bombarding him from all directions. Transmitting it straight into his brain and threatening to overwhelm his senses. He could taste death, hear the gentle hiss of moving shadows, see little more than silhouettes as his world started to close in around him.

"Aurora! Hang on!" Rainbow shouted as she lifted him back upright, taking his face in her hooves and staring at his shivering face. Scootaloo moved up to his other side, watching on in shock. "Focus on me, c'mon! What's happening?!"

It was only a minor thing, but it was enough for him to fix his attention to, a beacon in the looming dark. Aurora stared back at Rainbow and managed to feel the main part of his mind that hadn't been touched yet kick in: Instinct. He cried out as he forced himself fully onto his hooves, horn sparking white before the magic erupted into a shield around him. It was barely bigger than he was, but it was enough to protect him from the unrelenting assault on his senses, the incoming darkness fruitlessly flowing against the new barrier. He remained rooted in place, gasping for untainted air, his body starting to return to normal as his flow of magic began to purge the dark influence that had threatened to claim him.

"Th-thank you. By Celestia, thank you." He panted once his breathing was back under control. Rainbow had backed off when he had put the shield up and was only just started to relax herself, watching cautiously.

"Wh...What was that?" Scootaloo asked nervously, all her prior confidence evaporated by the sight.

"At a guess..." Rainbow told her grimly as she looked south. "That was what the ghosts of the lekli feel like."

"Oh my..." Aurora said, more to himself than anything. "And we're still ninety-five miles from the center of the Badlands. Alicorns must be a-able to shrug it off because it's their style of magic. Pegasi and earth ponies are less attuned to magic, can w-withstand it for much longer. But I...No unicorn could survive going in all the way."

"All right. Change of plans," Rainbow told him as she studied the area, spreading her wings. "We'll still be out for two hours thirty, but we're moving the rendezvous five miles north. We'll be seeing you in those grasslands, hopefully where the ground wont try to kill you. We could make our own way home if need be, but we can't afford to risk anypony's wellbeing right now."

"We'll shorten the search if we need to. It's not like we can go too far in that time." Scootaloo added, trying to be reassuring. Aurora simply nodded and smiled thankfully.

"Alright, I'm okay now. You two shouldn't waste any more time."

The two pegasi turned toward the edge of the plateau together. One pair of organic orange wings flared out, followed by one of metallic blue. Almost in sync they rushed toward the edge and jumped, launching skyward with a whoosh and a whirr. Aurora watched them go for as long as he could before looking back toward the edge of the Badlands, fixing on the view of the new meeting point. Satisfied that he could remember it enough to get there after a rest, he silently bade Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo good luck before teleporting to safe ground.

Tantabus' ear twitched involuntarily as she idly chewed on a blade of grass. There was nothing there to flick away, she was just doing it because there was nothing else to do around her. How many times had she done that action and had that thought in the past hour? A hundred? More? Why was she so focused on this when she still wasn't completely healed? Was she going crazy? No, no of course not. She was just a little bored and being stuck in a defect body for so long wasn't helping.

Maybe it was just her surroundings. She'd been camped out in these tunnels for days with the only variation coming from brief trips beyond the Badlands for food and water. Nothing but healing, resting and planning. A lesser pony, even a weaker alicorn, probably would have gone nuts before long. Not her though, she used the time to dwell on her failures. Both attempts to claim Equestria for her own that had been stopped by Vaeac and the Elements of Harmony. Her manipulations of Nezzari's nightmare being that had come so close to giving her a body of her own. All the setbacks that had occurred since taking over Sunset's body. All at the hooves of an imposter alicorn who could have everything she aimed for, only to keep throwing the chances away...But she wasn't crazy, her frustration just gave her focus.

That said, she couldn't risk losing that focus by actually succumbing to insanity like some weaker lekli. She had healed enough of her injuries sustained in the last campaign that she could look after herself if trouble occurred. Now she needed something else. Some fresh air would sharpen her mind somewhat and give her something different to look at. As she got up, Tantabus realised that she wasn't even aware what time of day it was. Maybe she'd stayed inside a little too long. Without any further thought she teleported out of her makeshift bedroom, reappearing at the entrance to the tunnels. For a few moments she simply let the wind and late morning sun reinvigorate her, testing how sensitive her more freshly healed wounds felt. Slightly tender, but not enough to affect performance when adrenaline kicked in.

For a few minutes she remained in place, studying the view. Not that there was much of one, even from her elevated position. There were no signs of life, slightly cloudy skies being the only thing that moved around her. There was no sound beyond the rush of wind, no variation in the landscape beyond half a dozen canyons and crevasses that spread out of sight. As if the dead rock was a pane of glass and the breaks were cracks, barely holding it together. Despite herself, Tantabus felt a moment of sadness as she kept staring. This was all that remained of her race's legacy. This, and a giant hole in the ground. Vaeac and Nezzari didn't count, not after their betrayal of virtually every principle the alicorns held dear. All the more reason to exact revenge and reclaim the throne that was rightfully hers.

Once the moment passed and she made to go back inside, she glanced at a passing cloud in the distance and stopped. There were a pair of figures flying in front of it, little more than two blue spots at this range. She narrowed her eyes and focused on it, silently cursing the fact that being in a substandard body left her without the eyesight of an alicorn, or even a defect flyer. She could just about tell that they were moving across the landscape initially, then they stopped going sideways and steadily started growing larger. If the eyesight of a defect was even a tenth of an alicorn's, there was a chance they'd spotted her already.

"Let's...Not take chances." Tantabus mused to herself as she made the mental calculations of the duo's flight and the rate they were approaching. The one on the right glinted momentarily as the sun reflected off it, almost as if inviting itself to be targeted. She smirked and charged her magic, taking aim.

Moments later, a thin beam of aqua and black, barely wider than the tip of her horn, shot out toward the one on the one on the right. Almost too fast to follow, or to evade.

Chapter 22 - Thrown Into the Fire

For all the problems with the Badlands and everything they represented, Rainbow Dash had to admit that it was a great area to fly over. On a clear day like this she could see for miles in every direction, there were plenty of thermal currents to keep herself gliding on and the sheer blandness of the environment made anything unusual stand out. On the ground, the dark magic that permeated the region was enough to make the hairs of her coat stand on end. At a thousand feet in the air even that disadvantage was negated. She could simply put her mind on autopilot, keep her eyes peeled for any hint of Tantabus' presence and enjoy the chance to have an extended flight with her little sister.

"Anything?" She called back to Scootaloo for the umpteenth time as the two of them banked left and headed south-east. They'd been in the air for a little under two hours and every time the reply had been the same.

"Just rocks," Scootaloo called back as she pulled up on Rainbow's right side. "And cracks. Lots of cracks. I could understand the rocks but we're, what, forty miles in now? Why's the ground still so broken up?"

"You'd have to ask Twilight for the details, but something big went down around here, roughly ten thousand years ago." Rainbow glanced over to check Scootaloo's reaction, satisfied that answer would suffice for now. The elements had agreed among themselves early on that directly announcing the truth about the ancient alicorn race would only panic their allies. Any that inquired on their own though, would be told all they wanted to know.

"Woah...More than big..." Scootaloo commented to herself as she looked to the south, studying the environment again. For a few seconds she simply kept staring out in that direction before nudging Rainbow with a hoof. "Hey, what'd you think that is?"

Rainbow followed her gaze, easily making out what she was pointing at. The terrain in that direction was largely the same as everything else in sight, leading toward the heart of the Badlands. Visible near the edge of the horizon, roughly twenty miles away, was either a very large hill or a partially collapsed mountain. Standing roughly seven hundred feet tall at its peak and composed of a slightly darker rock than the rest of the wasteland, there were also a number of fissures that seemed to originate from its base and join the others in the area. Nothing else could be made of it at this distance but it stuck out as prominently as Canterlot Castle would on the moon.

"I'd say I'm not sure, but something about it feels familiar..." Rainbow mused, slowing herself slightly so she could remain focused on the landmark. After a few moments of wracking her brains, she remembered where she'd seen something just like this. "There was a report in the information the changelings exchanged with Princess Celestia that Chrysalis had established a hive in the Badlands. At a guess, we're looking at it."

"But, there's no changelings there now. Right?" Scootaloo quickly asked, struggling to keep the nerves out of her voice. Rainbow didn't blame her for the response, considering what she and the other crusaders had gone through at Cadance's wedding all those years ago.

"None at all. Chrysalis abandoned it years ago, when she relocated all her forces to Mount Silvat. Even if there were any changelings that slipped away from that fight at first, Thorax's forces swept every uninhabited area they might have been hiding. The only changelings we're involved with these days are allies."

"Right...So, what're we doing about that 'hive' then?"

Rainbow looked back toward the peak and narrowed her eyes slightly. Scootaloo was clearly still wary about it, but it was the first thing they'd seen since the plateau that was over a hundred feet tall. Combining that with the likely network of tunnels and hiding places inside, and it seemed like the most likely place they'd found that Tantabus would use to keep herself out of sight.

"For now, how about we just give it a pass and see if anything looks off. Then we'll pull back to meet Aurora and tell everypony what we found. Either we'll end up searching somewhere else or Twilight will deal with whatever we find. Okay, Scoots?"

"Okay. I'll follow you." Scootaloo replied, sounding somewhat reassured.

Rainbow Dash nodded and pulled ahead slightly before turning south, Scootaloo following her lead. Up until now, they had both been taking it somewhat casually. Checking the unchanging terrain and scanning over the cracks in the earth on the chance something was hiding in them. Now though, they were focused and driven, putting all their senses on full alert.

'Should have been doing this from the start,' Rainbow thought to herself. 'Tantabus would be hiding deep in the region if she's here at all. No room for us to-'

Roughly a third of the way up the hive, something glinted. In the blink of an eye, she saw a spark of black across it and her eyes widened in shock. She was right in the worst possible way.

"Evade!"

Rainbow tucked her wings in and dropped down quickly, feeling an expected rush of air above her. She glanced up and the world seemed to slow to a crawl as she realised Scootaloo had pulled up and left. Possibly an attempt to shield her, possibly a panic response. Whichever it was, it had put her straight into the path of the beam.

"Dangit!" Scootaloo grunted, pushing herself into as hard a spin as she could to avoid being hit.

The magic sliced along her left wing, coming within an inch of burning into the flesh. The feathers running along its length weren't so lucky, all of them incinerated in one fell swoop. As the rest of her body passed the beam she tried to straighten out and spread her wings properly. The look on her face indicated that she wasn't even aware of the damage done. Then, a single heartbeat later, everything sped up again and the younger mare was plummeting in a barely controlled spin-out, crying out in surprise.

Rainbow moved without thinking, twisting her body over and dropping into a rapid dive. She still couldn't push herself as fast as she used to though. The wings may have been stress tested and could handle significant G-forces, but finding out if they could handle a sonic rainboom in this situation wasn't worth risking. She was still gaining ground though, enough that she was able to catch up to Scootaloo before too long. As much of a shock as the situation was, she was handling it surprisingly well and focusing on trying to level herself out.

As she managed to get alongside her partner, Rainbow had a brief moment where she realised this was partly on her. She'd defaulted to training and instinct when in danger. The Sky Wing used different words for different evasive manoeuvres. If she'd been with an EDF pegasus they would have dived with her, but Scootaloo had no way of knowing that. Wing feathers could grow back, or imping could be used to attach immediate replacements, but none of that would matter if she hit the ground at this speed.

"Hang on, kid!" Rainbow shouted to Scootaloo, wrapping her hooves around her body just as they dropped into one of the canyons. It was only forty feet deep and thirty wide with relatively smooth sides, but it felt like a grave opening up before them.

Her wings shot out and she put everything she could into slowing their descent. The metal skin creaked as it took the strain, a firm ache spreading into the point where it bent slightly against her organic skin. They held strong though, cutting their speed enough that with just enough time to brace herself, Rainbow was able to land with a undignified stumble. Scootaloo was less prepared and hit the ground on her stomach, sprawled out as she skidded to a halt several feet away.

"Th-thanks," Scootaloo started, coughing from the dust cloud as she pushed herself back to her hooves. She seemed slightly stunned but otherwise unhurt. "What happened there?"

"I think we accidentally broke the 'No fighting' part of the mission." Rainbow replied. Although she looked like she was checking herself over, inside she was silently wondering how she was going to break the news of what happened.

"No, I mean...Up there. I saw a glint of something, you yelled something at me and then..."

Scootaloo stopped as she spread her wings to examine them and saw the still-smouldering remains of her feathers. After several seconds she tucked them back in and looked forward with an exasperated sigh.

"Suppose it could be worse. Not sure how...Maybe this canyon could've been full of rats," She muttered to herself before looking back toward Rainbow. "So, how are we gonna get out of here? I'm not small enough for you to carry me the whole way anymore."

"I might not have a choice," Rainbow told her as she span in a quick circle to check their surroundings. There weren't any real pointy parts or ledges on the canyon walls that could be used to climb out and the empty space they had landed in showed no hints of which way to go. "If we stay down here, we're just risking heading straight into an-"

"Ambush?"

They both froze at that word. It had come from above. Even though they were almost too scared to do it, they both looked up together. Standing at the lip of the canyon, a cruel smirk on her face, was Tantabus. It wasn't the fact she was there that unnerved them most, nor that she didn't seem to have a scratch on her after what had happened in the Crystal Empire. The one thing that seeped fear into their hearts was the aura she radiated. At ground level, as deep into the region as they were now, the feeling of dark magic was like a thin haze that shrouded everything it touched in shadow. Now though, they could feel it being pulled toward the unicorn as if she were a black hole, consuming the darkness and fuelling herself with it. The sheer power she could command out here was unlike anything they could imagine a unicorn wielding.

And they were trapped with her, nopony knowing where they were.

"Stay close," Rainbow quietly said, stepping to put herself between Scootaloo and Tantabus. "No matter what happens, we'll find a way to deal with her."

"Oh, isn't that adorable?" Tantabus commented, her smirk widening before she teleported. "In most other circumstances, I'd consider it sweet in a pathetic way," Her voice came from behind them. By the time they'd turned to face her though, she was gone again. "Right now though, I'm just tired of dealing with defects."

"We have names! We are pegasi!" Scootaloo snapped as she spun round, going back to back with Rainbow. They could see all the way down the canyon in both directions, but their adversary had disappeared again.

"You'd barely even qualify as a slave," Tantabus replied, back in her original position at the top of the canyon. Her eyes narrowed as she took the moment to study them more closely. Rainbow first, then Scootaloo. "I recognise you actually, from that first little skirmish in the mountains. It took a moment, thanks to that...Costume, on the other. Not that it matters now."

Before either of them could respond, she fired straight down at their position. The two were forced to flee in opposing directions as it hit the ground, kicking up a small blast and showering the area in pebbles and dirt. Rainbow put her wings out to shield herself from any rubble and spun round to get a handle on the situation. Fighting any enemy in their home territory was risky even at the best of times, trying it here would be suicidal. Her best bet would be to get in close, stun Tantabus, grab Scootaloo and fly out. Even that would be difficult, Tantabus' ability to get to most out of her unicorn body gave her a lot more stamina than she'd expect in a regular fight. The pegasus could still probably take her in a straight hoof fight though. All she had to do was make it one.

Tantabus had followed her attack in and was charging her, horn surrounded by her magic aura in preparation for the follow-up assault. Scootaloo had similarly doubled back and was rushing after her with a look of unmasked fury on her face. She clearly wasn't taking the fact she'd lost her ability to fly again well. That only made her more likely to make a mistake when it mattered most though. Rainbow made an immediate judgement call; Make herself the focus of the fight and keep Scootaloo safe until an opening presented itself. No sooner had the thought been formed than she had to jump, spreading her legs out wide. A beam of magic passed through where her torso had been moments before, close enough to singe her underbelly.

Rainbow didn't hesitate for a moment, going into a hover for the briefest of moments before launching herself forward. Despite the dust cloud getting worse with every action taken, she narrowed her eyes and focused on her opponent's movements. Just as Tantabus lowered her head to strike again, she pushed herself up to avoid it and kicked a back hoof out a second later. With their closing speeds, Tantabus didn't even have time to use her magic again before Rainbow was over her, the outstretched hoof making contact with the base of her neck. The force of the blow knocked her off her hooves, but she teleported before hitting the ground and reappeared a few feet away, back on her hooves. While Rainbow swung round to maintain her offensive, Scootaloo dashed under her. Tantabus turned just in time to see a raised hoof headed for her face, a look of raw anger etched onto her features.

This ferocity was unexpected. She'd expected desperation in this situation, but to fight so hard, and so precisely as to outmanoeuvre her...Tantabus was almost impressed. At least, she would have been if both her opponents were working this way. As it was, it was only the blue defect that was giving her that impression. The look on the orange one's face told her all she needed to know.

It was the look of a fighter operating on emotion rather than focus, the kind that didn't think how each move would be followed up. The weak kind. Tantabus rolled with the punch as it hit her left cheek, the lessened pain letting her time her moment. The instant the upstary had passed her, her magic lit up again and she gripped them in a full-body hold. The momentum of the punch, coupled with some focused magic use, sent both of them flying toward the canyon wall. Tantabus was able to dig her hooves in and come to a stop, but at this speed her victim would left helpless.

"Gyaaa!" Scootaloo cried before smashing against the rock wall. She hit the wall at an angle, hard enough to crack the rock. A thick crunch was audible as the magic holding her dissipated instantly, letting her drop to the floor and slump over. She was still breathing, but unmoving.

Rainbow Dash froze in place as she saw it happen, too far away to intervene. Without thinking she landed and dashed forward, placing herself between the stricken mare and her attacker. This was precisely what she'd been trying to avoid, yet she had gotten careless, not stayed close enough. It didn't change her overall plan of escape, but getting there was going to be much harder now. If her focus strayed for a moment now, Scootaloo would be a sitting duck. Keep close, limit magic use, and utilise all her training to neutralise her foe. That was the only way. If Tantabus had the freedom to go all out at any point, she wouldn't stand a chance.

"That was my sister," Rainbow said firmly as she shrugged her saddlebags off her back, only getting a cold smirk in response. "That was a mistake."

"The only mistake here was thinking you stood a chance." Tantabus replied, staring her down. She wasn't taking the bait though, holding her position.

"We have more of a chance than you realise. Because we don't have to win here."

Tantabus tilted her head slightly and raised an eyebrow in surprise. Rainbow saw the opening and rushed forward, closing the gap in a second. Tantabus attempted to move out of the way but it was too little, too late. A hoof gripped around her horn and yanked her head to one side, preventing any magic use. Another slammed into the underside of her front right leg. She yelped in surprise and brought her own front hooves up, bringing them down on her opponent's right side and trying to pull away.

Rainbow grunted at the counter blow and tightened her grip. She wasn't at immediate risk and Tantabus was punching into her side like a filly throwing a tantrum. She couldn't get away though, her head pulled down almost alongside Rainbow's. In these circumstances, the struggle could go either way. Rainbow glanced back and saw that Tantabus' chest was level with her side. It wouldn't feel good, but it might be exactly the attack needed to end this while she had a chance. In the space of a heartbeat, her inherent magic flowed through her nerves into the bindings that converted them to magical charge, heading onward into mechanical systems. Her metal wing flared out faster than an organic one ever could, the end feather burying itself several inches into the unicorn's chest.

She couldn't feel the blood that leaked out onto it, or even the sensation of it against flesh. She could see the look of shock in Tantabus' eyes as she realised she'd been suckered, hear the roar of pain and the sickening squelch as her wing retracted almost as quickly as it had extended. More and more punches were thrown into her side and she could feel energy gathering in Tantabus' horn as she tried to force through the disruption to her magic channels. The resultant surge sent an incredible amount of heat through the horn, burning Rainbow's hoof and forcing her to release her grip. Tantabus backed away quickly as soon as she was free to, still thrashing at the air, momentarily blinded by her pain.

Without any restraint on her magic now, the built up magic discharged in a strong beam. Rainbow pushed herself sideways to avoid being caught in its path, wincing on reflex as the beam clipped her outstretched, bloodied wing. Even with a mere glancing hit, the amount of energy contained in Tantabus' magic caused a minor detonation that blew off several feathers, sending them clattering away down the canyon. A quick glance confirmed that she could probably still fly even with such damage, but it was looking less and less likely that she'd even get to that point. If Tantabus could bring power like that to bear, then this fight was already over.

The look in her eyes as she steadied herself and stared Rainbow down indicated that she was doing just that.

Rainbow gritted her teeth and charged again. Unless her next hit was a knockout blow, this was now a losing battle. She couldn't back down though, or show so much as an hint that she was weakened. Not when she still had so much to protect. At best, she could lure Tantabus away and double back, then grab Scootaloo and run. As tough as it was to know her plans were falling apart faster than she could perform a divebomb, she still had faith that there was a way out of this.

Somehow.

Chapter 23 - An Eternal Scar

The castle map room was cloaked in silence despite how many ponies were inside. Twilight sat rooted in place upon her throne, eyes fixed upon the map, hardly daring to blink as she stared at the Badlands. It wasn't that she didn't trust Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to make it back, just that she was so used to things going wrong at the moment. They were going to get back just fine, right? She was going to drag them out of Tantabus' hooves herself if it came to that. Of course just doing that wouldn't be enough, not without some kind of plan. If only she could focus long enough to think of one. How long had it been since she'd slept properly? Since anypony had? Five and a half weeks was a solid guess, it'd been that long since all this began. Surely it wouldn't be much longer, she just needed to get her hooves on Tantabus and...

A set of gentle claws pressed into her shoulders and the tension started to bleed away. Twilight leaned back slightly and relaxed, sucking in air through her teeth as the claws started to gently massage her shoulders and upper back. For the first time in far too long, she felt at ease. She leaned her head back and smiled upward, knowing that Spike would be looking back down at her with a similar smile. He knew just the right spots to work when she was wound up, and when she needed them most. After all these years, he probably couldn't know her any better if he'd married her.

"How'd you know?" She asked quietly, shifting her rear against the back of the throne properly and letting herself indulge in the moment.

"You haven't lowered your shoulders in at least six days." He replied, keeping up his efforts. His claws worked at muscle and skin with practiced precision, ironing out what stress they could.

Twilight nodded and let him work for now, looking around the room. Now that she wasn't preoccupied with her own thoughts she could hear the mix of general chatter in the map room. Almost everypony was gathered here in preparation of hearing the results of Rainbow and Scootaloo's recon mission. Applejack, Apple Bloom and Deep Note were talking among themselves on the far side of the map. Fluttershy was just entering the room, likely returning from looking after her foals, and moving to join Sweetie Belle by the door. Trixie was sat leaned against Rarity's throne, a look of concern on her face as she talked to Peace Walker. Despite everything else that was on her mind, Twilight found herself oddly worried about that last part.

"So, I've not been paying attention," She admitted to Spike, sounding more like herself now that she was calm again. "Is Trixie okay?"

"She's been pretty shaken up all week," Spike told her, starting to work on her lower back. "Apparently Tantabus said something to her back at the amulet vault. Whatever it was, on top of everything that's happened, I think it's starting to get inside her head."

Twilight nodded slowly. It had been all too easy for her to forget everypony else was struggling through this with her, up until now. Now she knew what to look for she could see the fear and stress in Trixie's eyes, the sense that she wasn't going to be any further help. How many of the others were feeling something similar? It wasn't true of course. Every one of her current companions was a help in their own way, from keeping everypony's spirits up to proving that Tantabus could be stood against. They deserved better than to be living in fear. She had to talk to them while she had time.

Just as she stood up to do so, the main doors opened again and Aurora stepped inside. There was a look and aura of grim determination about him, enough that everypony quickly dropped what they were doing and turned to face him.

"Aurora? I thought you'd left already." Twilight asked in surprise. Aurora looked over at her for a moment and smiled slightly in response. If he was picking up on her changed attitude, it was all the better for both of them.

"I was about to, then..." He replied, moving up to the map and staring at the Badlands upon it. "I...Had a bad feeling about going back alone. Even if I'm not actually going in. So, I need to ask a major favour."

"Hey, remember who yer asking," Applejack told him reassuringly as she approached the map too. "I'm sure it ain't all that bad."

"That depends on what those I'm asking think. Fluttershy, Deep Note, would you two accompany me and keep an eye out from the air?"

"Oh my. It's a little short notice to ask that, isn't it?" Fluttershy asked quietly, looking down and fiddling with a few loose strands of her mane. "I-I mean, I could come if you really needed me to, but..."

"I think what Fluttershy means," Deep interjected, looking over at her for approval to continue talking. She gave a small thankful nod in return. "Is that she wants to help out, but she'd rather not risk herself."

"I know it sounds selfish," Fluttershy added, sounding more confident now that she'd been giving a starting point. "But I, I do have to think about my children when making these decisions."

"Of course. Sorry to just put that out there without consideration." Aurora replied, looking somewhat ashamed of himself for not thinking it through.

"Don't worry about it," Deep told him, smiling reassuringly. "If it was even half as bad as you described it out there, I don't blame you for not wanting to go alone. I'll come along."

"I will too," Fluttershy added after a moment, walking over to Aurora's side. "I'll still be keeping myself further back, but I'll be there if it makes you feel better."

"It does. Really, thank you both," Aurora said, relaxing slightly as Deep did the same. "We wouldn't be actually going into a dangerous zone. It'd just be looking to see if you could see Rainbow and Scootaloo coming."

"Alright. Stay safe, all of you." Twilight told them, everypony else voicing their support as well.

Aurora nodded and checked the other two were up against him before priming his magic. A few moments later the three of them teleported out of the castle. Twilight stared at the spot they had been for a few moments before looking back toward the map. As much of a handle as she had on her concerns at this moment, that discussion had brought them simmering up again. She didn't know what was going on out in the Badlands, but after everything that had happened...She just couldn't convince herself that things had gone as smoothly as everypony wanted. She knew what her friends were capable of though, and she still had faith that together, they would be able to stay safe until they were back home.

Scootaloo gritted her teeth slightly as she began to regain consciousness. She could already feel a great pressure against each of her hooves, her front legs held slightly behind and to her sides. A number of large, rough objects were at her back, though she was still too groggy to hazard a guess what they were. The situation was even more confusing since she was being held completely upright with only her back hooves on the ground. As the rest of her senses started to come back to her, she became aware of more confusing and worrying facts. She could faintly taste blood in her mouth. The air she was breathing was stale, as if it had been sitting without so much as a breeze for years. There was also a shrill noise in her ears, high and repeating. It took a few seconds for her to recover enough to realise what it was, the actual sound enough to chill her deepest core.

Screaming. Agonised, tortured screaming. Coming from less than twenty feet to her right. Then it trailed off, briefly replaced by a loud, echoing clang of metal on rock.

Everything was quiet after that, a brief window to get her head in order. Scootaloo took a few deep breaths, steadying herself as best she could despite an increasing ache in her shoulders and back. After a few seconds she opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly. Everything was still dark, but she could make out a number of sizeable rocks surrounding her hooves, pinning them in place. Was she up against a rockslide of some kind? That would explain the feeling at her back and why her front hooves were wedged too. She looked up further to see she was in some kind of cave. The opposite wall was about fifteen feet away and her saddlebags had been placed against it. She couldn't see how long the cavern was from where she was.

She slowly shook her head to get some feeling back in her neck and glanced to her right. It took a moment to notice in the dark, but she saw it on the ground. For the second time in the space of a minute, the sight froze her blood. A metal wing, painted sky blue, was lying on the ground there. Dried blood was smeared across the end feather and three others were missing entirely. Fresh blood coated the bonds where it attached to the organic joint and a few small streaks were on the ground where it had been thrown down. A few drops trailed off to the right, toward...

"Scoots..." Rainbow Dash's voice came from next to her, weak and pained. "Don't look."

"Oh, so she's awake is she?" Tantabus' voice came just after. Scootaloo had enough time for the memory of what happened earlier to come back to her before a hoof was placed under her chin and the unicorn in question came into view.

Tantabus looked like she'd been through a rough time. A pair of freshly healed cuts were visible, one down the side of her muzzle and a much deeper one on her chest. She also had roughly half a dozen scrapes and bruises across her body. Scootaloo wasn't sure which she should be more of: Pleased that Rainbow put up such a good fight, or terrified to know that Tantabus had taken all those injuries and still come out in better shape than her opponents. The more her senses came back to her, the more she realised she wasn't feeling either of those choices particularly strongly. Instead, she was feeling a burning anger at what had been done to her sister flooding through her body.

"Don't!" She snapped, yanking her head away from the hoof and glaring coldly at the unicorn, protective fury in her eyes. Even though she knew it was useless, she still made an effort to yank her hooves out from the rocks. "I..!"

"You're kidding. Held helpless like that and you still want to give me the bravado? It might make sense if all I had to hold with you with was a rope around your chest," Tatanbus replied with a mocking chuckle, glancing over at where Rainbow was restrained. "As it is, you really should be more thankful. I'm the reason you're still alive."

"By capturing us instead of brutally killing us. Gee, thanks." Scootallo replied flatly, never taking her eyes off her captor.

"Exactly. Neither of you would have survived your injuries outside. But lucky for you, that voice you know as Sunset kept yelling at me until I did something about it. It's quietened down now though, since it made me put the effort into suppressing it. So, that leaves me free to a change of plans. If you two were able to find me, others will too. Vaeac, Nezzari, those foolish pretenders you call Cadance and Twilight. I'm still not ready to deal with them, but I will leave them a gift after I head out."

"I'm guessing, that-" Scootaloo started, only to be silenced as Tantabus fired into the rock an inch from her head, grazing her left cheek hard enough to burn it. Despite herself, she flinched away from the strike.

"What's left of you, yes. Speaking of which..."

Scootaloo followed Tantabus as she moved back to the right, steeling herself for what she knew she would see. Even though she knew, the sight was still one that would haunt her for many years to come. Rainbow Dash was about twenty-five feet down the rock collapse that made up the wall behind them, restrained in the same way she was. While she was lacking any of the bruises, cuts or burns the other two sported, blood was visible across her back. Her breathing was strained and while she was fighting any signs of it, it was clear she was in a lot of pain. It was a small mercy that her left wing was still attached. She slowly looked over at Scootaloo and her eyes betrayed her true feelings for the briefest of moments. Enough for her to tell what they were though.

Excruciating agony. Fear of being unable to escape. A silent plea not to give up. Seeing those feelings coming from her idol was enough to cool the anger inside Scootaloo, replacing it with chilling fear.

Then she saw Tantabus grip the remaining wing with her magic.

"Don't look!" Rainbow cried, desperation creeping into her voice. Scootaloo had enough time to see the sadistic smile forming on Tantabus' face before she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her head away.

The sound of metal being crushed filled the cave, followed by sparking magic bright enough to be visible even through her eyelids. Then the screaming started again, even louder than before. Scootaloo pressed her ears back against her skull and tried to block it out. The sound was all she could hear though, echoing throughout her mind like she was trapped in the pits of Tartarus itself. She couldn't move, couldn't think, her world was currently nothing but the sound of the most important pony in her world being tortured to death...A small part of her wished that her earth pony side had manifested itself more. Made her strong enough to pull herself from these rocks, bring that still simmering emotion to bear and show Tantabus what a mistake this was.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the screaming ended and the magic faded. The only thing she could hear over her own tense breathing was Rainbow gasping for air before it too quietened down.

"Such a brittle 'hero'," Tantabus commented, sounding like she was moving in front of Scootaloo again. A moment later, an unseen force gripped her head and lifted it up again. "You see this? How strong a pony you put your hopes in really is?"

"She's stronger than you. Not having to...To steal the strength of others." Scootaloo grunted, still refusing to open her eyes.

Tantabus' snarl was the only warning she got before something smashed against her head with significant speed. A sharp edge barely missed her left eye, reopening the scar above it and cutting even deeper. By the time she'd opened her mouth to cry out it had crashed against her left hoof, the force dislodging some of the rocks holding it back. She hardly noticed as white hot pain engulfed her body, a worrying warmth spreading down her face. Her head felt like it was being torn apart while her body locked up in sensory overload. She couldn't even work her jaw enough to scream, only managing to get a throttled cry from her throat.

"You still want to test me?"

She could hear the words, but only just. It gave her a tiny point to focus on that wasn't the pain though. Scootaloo quickly held onto that island of calm in the maelstrom of panic that had flooded her mind. First her breathing came back under control, then her muscles. Then her emotions.

"You...You better hope the next one kills me." She growled. It wasn't until the words were out of her mouth that she realised she meant it. Nopony hurt her sister like that.

There was still too much pain to think straight, but what she had was enough to remember where she'd been before that moment. Something wet was covering her left eye, her right opened slowly to see Tantabus was almost nose to nose with her. A look of cold fury was etched onto her features and one of her front hooves was out, centimetres from pressing against the pegasus' throat. A few stray sparks leapt from the tip of her horn into Scootaloo's face, hitting like pin needles and worsening the pain.

"You've seen what I can do. What I WILL do," Tantabus continued, her voice laced with venom as she leaned in closer. She quickly glanced down at the hoof that had been freed by her attack and gave a dangerous smile. "I saw that fire in your eyes before. But it's snuffed so easily in the face of real danger. You could take a swing, sure, but-"

Scootaloo didn't even think. All her pain, anger, frustration, grief, all of those things were gone for the briefest of moments. She'd been attempting to get through without leaning on anypony for support, but right now, an outlet being offered to her...In that same split second, all those emotions weren't in her head. They were now in her free hoof.

Without any hesitation, she put as much of her strength as she could into it. Then she swung.

Her punch landed square on Tantabus' right cheek. As if in slow motion, she could see the look on her foe's face as it connected. One of shock, never believing until that moment that she'd actually do it. Then the full force of the blow came in and the unicorn was knocked off her hooves, sprawled on her front several feet away. The rush of adrenaline that came with the hit, the satisfaction, was enough to briefly numb the pain coursing through Scootaloo's head. Then the realisation set in: She had struck out in anger. If Tantabus hadn't been knocked out, the next strike really would kill her. She could already see movement too. She'd given up everything for a moment of satisfaction.

Tantabus' eye opened and looked back at her. It was different to before, more normal. She slowly put her hooves back against the ground and lifted herself up slightly. After a few moments she spat blood onto the ground, followed by one or two teeth. Once she'd finished clearing her mouth out she stood up again, slowly looking back. She was still drooling blood and her cheek was already showing bruising through her fur. The look in her eyes was what made Scootaloo realise just how much damage she'd done. Tantabus didn't look like she wanted to kill her anymore. Had the blow allowed Sunset to regain some control?

Without another word, the unicorn slowly got up fully and staggered out of the cave, not even looking back as she headed into a tunnel to the left of the area. Scootaloo stared for a moment before the reality of the situation hit her. She had been given an opening to escape, with Rainbow and...How badly hurt was she? Even if she hadn't been looking, it was almost certain that both her wings had been removed. She needed help more right now. Why was she even thinking about this when she needed to be taking action?!

Scootaloo looked down at her free hoof and then over at her other front hoof. Sunset was right, she probably could reach. She quickly brought it up and started prying away the rocks holding that hoof down. Heavy as they were, roughly the size of her head, they had clearly been placed to pin without much thought for keeping it in place. As soon as her free hoof found purchase, she pulled at one until she managed to get in behind it for leverage. With that done, it wasn't long before she yanked the rocks out of place, pulling her hoof free as they clattered to the ground. Now working with two hooves, she was able to get her back hooves free in no time and drop back to the ground.

"Finally..." She groaned, feeling how numb they were after being trapped like that for who knew how long. She could see the saddlebags just ahead and rushed over to them. She couldn't be much help when half blind and still in incredible pain. Some first aid would have to suffice before helping Rainbow. As she checked through them, she realised that any food she'd packed had been taken, yet all the medical supplies remained. An odd choice, but one she wasn't going to argue with right now.

There wasn't time for any dedicated treatment, just a painkiller pill and a bandage wrapped over the gash on her forehead. Scootaloo wiped the blood from her eyes once she was done and put the saddlebags on before rushing over to Rainbow Dash, quickly working on removing the rocks trapping her. Rainbow seemed to have fallen unconscious, her breathing slow and heavy. There wasn't a mark on the front of her, but the fact both her metallic wings were gone meant her back was probably a mess. Doing something about that would have to wait until they were somewhere though.

"Don't worry, sis," Scootaloo said quietly as she removed the last rock holding Rainbow and lifted her onto her back. "Just keep holding on. I'll get you out."

Once her cargo was settled in place, she looked round for a way out. There was the way Sunset had left and another closer to her, both leading to dark rock tunnels. Neither had any indicators of leading to a way out, but heading away from Tantabus was always a good idea. She headed out as quickly as she could, doing her best to push through the blunted pain. She was still struggling for vision in her left eye, it hurt to keep it focused and the concern that it had suffered real damage was starting to form in her mind. Like everything else, that would have to wait until she had escaped. She kept pushing through the tunnels, heading down different paths as best as she could judge. There was a faint breeze now, standing out like a flare in the stale air, pointing the way out.

Just as she started following it. Scootaloo's ears twitched as a furious roar echoed throughout the tunnels, followed by hoofsteps. Rapid, steadily closing in hoofsteps. Despite already pushing herself hard, she broke into a semi-run, praying she was closer to the exit than wherever they had been before. Her wings spread out slightly to help keep Rainbow balanced on her back, reminding her at the same time that she couldn't fly out. Trying to earlier had resulted in her crash, though if she kept it level then a limited glide might be possible. Any actual escape plan would have to be improvised once she could see where she'd be running.

Scootaloo gritted her teeth as she rounded another corner and pushed herself into a full gallop. Her eyes stung slightly as she saw light coming from the end of the current tunnel, her darkness-adjusted pupils struggling to adapt. Her body was already starting to complain at the stress she was putting it under, but to stop would be a death sentence for them both. She could hear Tantabus closing in on her, charging unencumbered and driven by fury. Beams of black tinged aqua started to streak past her, scoring the walls with burn marks. Sunset was probably still trying to do something, considering how few of them even came close to hitting. She didn't even look back, putting everything she had into her desperation to get the two of them out.

She reached the opening and her hooves suddenly found nothing underneath them. With her eyes partially adapted to the light she could see that she was several hundred feet up in the air, having just ran clean off the side of the small mountain they'd been approaching before. A network of smaller canyons spread out from its base and beyond her sight. Despite them, there seemed to be clear paths out of there at ground level too. So many options, so many ways this could go wrong, and no time to decide. Scootaloo steeled herself as an idea took root in her mind. There was a chance to get some distance from Tantabus, all she had to do was reach it.

Swallowing her fears and wrapping her front hooves around Rainbow's, her wings shot open.

Far to the north, under the edge of a cloud blanket, Aurora silently watched the sky. He'd remained rooted in place for at least twenty minutes, switching between looking into the Badlands and checking the pegasi overhead at regular intervals. Even here, at the border where the dead rock gave way to luscious plains, he could feel the strength of the dark magic before him. Thankfully it was weakened enough to not affect him at this distance, letting him focus on the task at hoof. Even as he focused again, the two flyers came in and landed in front of him.

"Still nothing..." Fluttershy told him, looking back toward the Badlands with concern. "Not even on the horizon."

"Maybe they just went further than planned, taking further to get back?" Deep Note suggested hopefully. Fluttershy looked over at him and shook her head.

"No. Rainbow Dash would never linger if she thought it might put Scootaloo in danger."

"You're right. Something's wrong out there," Aurora commented, brow furrowing as he looked over the area again. After a few moments he sighed to himself and turned fully to the others. "I hate to ask more of you but, I don't think I can just stand and wait."

"I understand, and I'm coming too," Fluttershy told him with surprising conviction. "I'm not leaving my friends in there."

"Our friends." Deep said, spreading his wings.

As they took off to begin the search again, Aurora nodded and turned toward the Badlands. Despite remembering everything he had gone through the last time he had stepped into that wasteland, there was no hesitation in his mind. Merely the knowledge that even precautions would only let him go so far before the dark magic became too much to withstand. He could only hope that they found Rainbow and Scootaloo before that point. His horn lit up and he cast a shield around himself, a thin tendril extending from its peak to his horn tip. It would be enough to keep it moving with him. Now it was down to Fluttershy and Deep to find their missing friends and for him to bring them home.

He set off at a run to keep up, barely feeling the subtle pulsing his shield made as it shrugged off the dark magic surrounding him. Right now, all that mattered to him were the two ponies lost out there.

Chapter 24 - The Long Walk

"It's been too long. Something has to be wrong."

Everypony looked round at Twilight as she broke the silence. It had been an hour since Fluttershy, Aurora and Deep Note had left and nopony had heard anything since. Although the princess was managing to maintain a sense of calm about her, the rising concern in her eyes was unmistakeable. Everypony else was feeling it too, but to actually see it told them just how badly it was getting to her.

"Maaaaybe they're just taking a while to find each other." Trixie suggested nervously, pacing around the map room.

"I don't think so. Rainbow has military experience, she'd never run late willingly." Twilight countered, her tone a little forceful.

Everypony else looked among themselves, unsure of how to respond. The tension was understandable, but it felt like they were letting it dominate the situation too much. At the same time though, there wasn't much they could actually do at the moment. After a few seconds of everypony shifting comfortably, Spike stepped forward and leaned against the map, tapping a claw on the Badlands.

"Even if they do run into trouble, it's not all she has," He told them, studying Twilight's reaction. "There are five ponies out there now, each with their own set of skills they could use. Rainbow is probably the fastest thing alive. Fluttershy already tamed a world-threatening spirit of chaos. Aurora is as smart and magically adept as you were as a unicorn, Scootaloo is one of the most determined ponies I know-"

"And Deep may not look like much, but ah'd say he's got a lotta untapped potential." Applejack added.

"I know, I know..." Twilight admitted, looking down sadly. "I guess I'm just..."

"Thinking of everypony?" Peace Walker suggested, waiting for Twilight to nod before continuing. "Well, for what it's worth, I've got a gut feeling that we'll be hearing something about what's happened soon."

Twilight stared at the map for several seconds, her eyes steadily darting around as she took in it's features. Although most of the others couldn't follow her movements, Spike knew exactly what she was doing. Looking at every town and city upon it, even those that lay unmarked, reminding herself exactly how many lives rested on her actions. As her gaze finally settled on Ponyville, she straightened up and looked round at everyone present with a small smile.

"I'd probably be handling this a lot worse if I didn't have friends like you keeping me sensible," She admitted. "Thank you all for still sticking by me."

"Wow, you must be more stressed than I thought."

Everypony looked round at those words, staring at Trixie in surprise. She was looking back at Twilight with a raised eyebrow and the focused look than anypony had seen from her since the battle at the vault.

"I mean, that has to be the first time you've ever called me your friend." She added, glancing round at the others and looking a little put out that that comment had drawn so much attention.

Twilight blinking in surprise, realising that Trixie had a point. The two had never had any direct contact with each other since the Alicorn Amulet incident, just over twenty-three years ago now. Although they had ultimately parted on good terms, the air of jealousy and animosity had never really faded. On top of that, there was the unwelcome thought that Trixie was the last 'villain' that she had been able to help. Tirek was still locked deep in Tartarus and while Starlight Glimmer had been redeemed, she couldn't claim to have played any true part in making it happen. Even though things had changed a lot, she'd never quite been able to shrug off those last traces of the past. Maybe it was just her stressed mind putting the thought there, but those traces seemed to be holding her back.

"I guess I've found some new perspective since we last met," She said after a moment. "You're standing alongside us and helping me, even though you have no obligation to. I'd say that on some level, that makes us friends."

Spike couldn't help but flash a knowing grin at those words.

"I guess it does." Trixie replied, visibly relaxing as she thought about it. The exchange was enough to ease the atmosphere for everypony else as well. At least there was something positive happening to them in the midst of this wait.

The Badlands echoed with furious screams and rock being torn from its very foundations. Scootaloo knew all too well what it meant. Tantabus was tearing her way through the already shattered earth to try and catch her. She couldn't escape it conventionally. Carrying Rainbow Dash hampered her running, she'd barely stayed in the air for more than fifteen seconds while gliding and the sheer fact her hunter could teleport meant that any straight encounter would be over in seconds.

And Tantabus was closing in on her. Fast.

She had kept enough of a gap that those fifteen seconds had gotten her to one of the narrower, winding canyons that spread out from the base of the former changeling hive. On landing she had rounded the first turn and wedged the two of them into a crevasse in the wall. It wasn't too cramped, enough that she could almost stretch out, but more importantly it was secluded. All she could do at that point was remain still and wait, listening as Tantabus closed in. It would be a long time before she would admit it to another pony, assuming she ever got the chance, but these were undeniably the most terrifying moments of her entire life. If her efforts to hide were a microinch less than perfect, they were both worse than dead. And nopony she cared about would ever know.

With a rush of wind and noise, the raging unicorn came upon their position. Scootaloo held her breath and shut her eyes, waiting for the blow...

It never came. Seconds passed and the noise began to fade slightly, moving past their hiding place.

She opened her eyes and slowly looked toward the canyon, seeing nothing there but dust kicked up by the wind. Tantabus was gone, charging onward down the canyon. Had it been anger induced tunnel vision or just thinking that she would attempt to keep running? Whichever it was, it had given them time and distance.

Scootaloo glanced back at Rainbow Dash, panting hard as she finally dared to breathe and got her heart rate back under control. Rainbow's head was draped over her right shoulder, still unresponsive, and her fur was becoming worryingly red on her back and sides. Scootaloo wasn't doing well either. The vision in her left eye wasn't improving and her head felt like it was ready to split open. The worst part was that there still wasn't time for treatment yet. Maybe once they were out of the area, away from Tantabus. That just left the way she was going to get them out of here without being seen. She knew going back into the canyon would be inviting herself to be found, so she looked up instead.

The crevasse walls were rugged and remained relatively close together, rising thirty feet above her. She could easily climb out if she was alone, but with Rainbow on her back she wasn't sure if she had the hoof strength to hold on. There was another way though. It was far riskier but put less stress on her body, and at this point the only alternate was to sit and wait to be killed. Either by exposure or by Tantabus. Neither was preferable to the risk involved with trying to get out of here.

"Hold on sis, just a little longer." Scootaloo said quietly, to herself as much as to Rainbow. Time...Nay, everything was against her at this point, but the knowledge of who and what was counting on her success meant that she wouldn't allow herself to fail. Not even when she had nothing to rely on but slightly numb hooves and strength of will.

She planted her front hooves firmly against the rock wall, doing her best to rest them against the rougher spots for grip. Once she was settled she did the same with her back left hoof. Moment of truth time. She braced herself and brought her last hoof up. As soon as all four were against the walls she tensed them and held her breath. She fully expected to collapse straight back to the ground, but she found that Rainbow wasn't as heavy in this position as she'd feared. Another small perk of a pegasus' lightweight build. Her legs were shaking slightly, but she could kept them bent and pressed into the wall, digging against the rougher spots for grip. They still had a chance.

Scootaloo took a few breaths before tensing her body and lifting her front left and right rear hooves a few inches, repeating the motion with the other two as soon as they were safely pressed back against the wall. Once her hooves were moving it was surprisingly easy to keep up the momentum, steadily climbing higher and higher. She couldn't take it too quickly though. Although the rock was dry and rugged, it would still be all too easy to slip from a misplaced hoof. Too slowly and her legs would tire out before reaching the top. Even as it was, she had to stop every so often for a breather, trying to keep her legs steady. Her wings had enough space to spread out slightly, keeping Rainbow balanced in place while she did so.

Time had no meaning at the moment, the world around her narrowed to nothing but the rock walls, the two ponies between them and the sun beating down from above. Her legs were starting to ache from the effort, but there was no place to rest. Any hesitation at this point, any mistake, and this crevasse would be the only thing she knew for the rest of her life. Because as she rose, her resolve rose with it. There was no way in Equestria that she was going to let Tantabus lay a hoof on either of their living bodies. There was even less chance that she was going to let Rainbow down like that though, not when she needed the help most. She was going to succeed...She had to!

Eventually, as her muscles were starting to really struggle with being held in that position, the view in Scootaloo's good eye changed from dull brown rock to the dull expanse of the Badlands. As she realised that she was on the brink of making it, her ears twitched. Although Tantabus was still in the middle of her furious rampage, it was much fainter and more to what she assumed was the north-east. Not the direction they needed to go. Although she had handled most of the pressing issues for her escape, a new one was only just becoming apparent to her. How exactly she was supposed to get out of this position and onto flat ground without dropping anything, or anypony. There weren't any real options in her current position, she would just have to think on her hooves.

Scootaloo grunted as she pulled her front hooves over the rim, doing her best to anchor them against the ground. Then she brought her back hooves right up to the edge and raised her front half as much as she could. Her wings came out and tucked backward as well, unable to do much but useful as an indicator of what she needed to adjust in her idea. After several minutes of effort she managed to slide Rainbow Dash off her back, along her back legs and onto safe ground. With her immediate concern dealt with, Scootaloo pushed herself forward and scrambled onto the other side of the gap, panting from exertion as she lay there for a moment. As she wiped a mix of sweat and blood off her forehead, she silently reminded herself that she was still the one in better shape and got up again. A quick jump over the gap got her by Rainbow's side and properly checking her injuries for the first time.

Amazingly, it wasn't as bad as the amount of blood had made it seem. Rainbow's wing stumps had lost most of their skin when her bionic wings were destroyed, but the bleeding was minimal. The worst of it was coming from a slightly deeper wound in the center of each stump, both of which were still losing blood at a more alarming rate. She still didn't have any other marks beyond scuffs from being carried out and her breathing was still steady. Presumably she was still unconscious as a result of losing out to her pain tolerance. That or the blood loss was becoming more serious. In her current state, there was no way that she'd make it back to safety without bleeding out.

Scootaloo gave herself another painkiller tablet to numb the issues in her head and legs before looking through her saddlebags for anything she could use to ease things. More bandages? Not a good idea yet, her own one had only been of limited help. Antiseptic pads? Maybe necessary but using them around an open wound would hurt bad. The pair of needles attached to a clear tube? What were they even for again? She'd been rushing a little when she'd stopped by the hospital for supplies, picking up things she thought she'd need before heading out. Still, it might be just what she needed. She racked her brain to try and remember just what they did. Where she had seen them before...

"So, why exactly do you wanna learn about this stuff?"

Scootaloo found herself in a conflicted mood as she followed Quick Fix through the upper floor of his house. On one hoof, the memory of Rainbow Dash in a hospital bed was all the reason she'd needed to ask him to join Twilight's cause. On the other, she could still hear the sounds of Quick's dog attempting to play with Trixie downstairs and it was impossible to keep a straight face to that. Overall though, she knew she had to stay focused on why she was here.

"Well, after what's happened so far, it's probably better to have more than one pony who knows more than basic first aid." She told him. Quick looked back at her and nodded. There was a look of cautious optimism in his eyes, but she could tell that he really hoped his skills wouldn't be needed.

As they entered Quick's bedroom, Scootaloo took a moment to look around. A pair of desks had been set up on the side walls, one with what looked like contracts, material orders and paperwork for his repair jobs, the other covered with medical books and tools that he was learning from. Each of the light blue walls had a number of posters and photos on them, a mix of wildlife identification guides and photos of local stars he had worked with. It took a moment for her to notice, but his autographed picture of the two of them wasn't up there. Instead it was framed and placed on his bedside table. Despite never putting much thought into her fame, the sight still touched her.

"Okay, first things first," Quick said as he moved over to the medical desk and cleared some space on it, placing several tools down in the center. "Let's start with what we know. Do you recognise any of these?"

"Alright let's see..." Scootaloo moved up to the desk and looked through what had been set out. Most of them were beyond her but there were a few she'd learned over the years. "Scalpel, hopefully too extreme for what we'll need. Braces, splints, err...Ahh, I don't know the name of this but I recognise it. It was used when I gave blood for Rainbow's surgery."

Quick glanced down at the lightly shaved patch on her leg before leaning in to see the instrument she was indicating. A clear tube, four feet long with its opening half an inch wide. A pair of needles were attached to each end, one slightly shorter and with a wider opening.

"That is a transfuser," He hold her, stepping up and lifting it up in a hoof. "One of the newer things nurses and medics are using. Honestly, I find it fascinating as an idea. The short needle first gets attached to a blood bag, or into the pony receiving blood if it's an emergency, then the longer one into the donor. Only real downside to it is that you need to keep an eye on the process. Since it uses the donor's bloodflow to push it along, there's no cutoff beyond whoever's using it timing when to disconnect."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Scootaloo mused, thinking about how she had watched the process while she was giving blood. If nothing else, at least she wasn't going to be as scared of needles the next time it happened.

Scootaloo glanced downward as she lifted the transfuser out. Although the patch of fur had since grown back, she knew exactly where the mark left from her blood donation was. She placed the device down beside Rainbow, followed by a roll of tape and two of the antiseptic pads. They would have to be enough. With that settled she removed one of the pads from its protective wrap and started parting the fur near the of Rainbow's front left leg, fitting everything else back into the saddlebags as she did.

"Sorry about this, sis," She said quietly once she'd rubbed the damp pad over Rainbow's leg and reached for the protective cap over the shorter needle. "I can't say that this isn't going to suck for both of us, but it should keep you going until we find actual help."

Aurora glanced skyward as he walked along the edge of a wide canyon, making sure he was still staying underneath Fluttershy and Deep. He hadn't stopped once since entering the Badlands. His initial canter had easing into a quick walk before long, electing to swap speed for efficiency. Being able to go deep into the region wouldn't do much good if he dropped from exhaustion long before that. As it was, his legs kept moving without thinking, his senses and magic working overtime for any signs of life. The lingering dark magic had steadily been growing stronger around him. Still not enough to trouble him through his shield but it served as a warning that he might not be able to go much further without being at risk.

He gritted his teeth slightly as he momentarily wondered why this had come across as the best idea. He had no way of contacting Twilight without undoing all his progress, he could hardly see anything compared to the pegasi above him and he'd been walking for hours without so much as a breath of life around him. At a rough estimate from the sun's position, it was early afternoon already. He could only give it another hour or so before considering if it was worth advancing further and risking the ever increasing strain on his magic.

Even as he finished thinking it, his ears twitched at the sound of somepony coming in from above. He stopped and looked up to see Deep coming in to land quickly, a somewhat frantic look on his face. He dropped to the ground next to the shield and immediately turned to face Aurora.

"We've got something!" Deep told him quickly, looking the way they were headed. "About eight miles further on, an orange figure carrying a blue one. Too dark coated to be Tantabus. It's got to be them!"

"Alright, get me airborne and I'll teleport us there as soon as I can see." Aurora replied, sounding and feeling reinvigorated at the prospect of actually finding their friends in this wasteland.

Deep looked up and motioned to Fluttershy to join them. After a minute she landed on the other side of the shield, waiting as Aurora told her what they were doing. He dropped the shield after a few moments and braced himself, convulsing as he was hit with the full force of the dark magic surrounding him. Fortunately, the two pegasi were able to get a hold under his legs and lift him out of the danger zone before it got any worse. Once he was in clearer air, his body relaxed again and he was able to get himself back under control.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked with concern, looking him over as he adjusted himself in their hold slightly. Being carried like this was definitely not something he wanted to do regularly.

"I am now, thanks to you." Aurora told her thankfully. Now that he was back up to speed, he looked over to Deep and checked where he was pointing out.

Although his eyesight was nowhere near as good as the eagle-like precision of a pegasus, he could make out the figures they'd seen. It definitely looked like one on top of another and they were moving very slowly though a rocky outcrop. He was pretty confident that it was indeed Scoots and Rainbow, but they would still have to be careful. He looked round and primed his magic, giving them time to prepare themselves before he teleported the three of them to their target. As soon as the flash of the spell faded he threw his shield up around himself again, taking stock of the situation as quickly as he could.

All three of them gasped at the same time when they realised what was in front of them.

Rainbow Dash was slumped limply over Scootaloo's back, bandages wrapped around what was left of her wings and one end of a transfuser taped to her front right leg. As well fixed in place as it was, it had clearly been an amateur job and was bleeding slightly. The one fitted to the other end was just as bad, though Scootaloo herself was in far worse shape. A severely bloodied bandage was wrapped around the left side of her forehead and her left pupil was sitting much lower than it should, as if it was looking down. Worst of all, the few visible parts of her skin looked pale and she was staggering slightly as she walked toward them. Blood loss was taking a serious toll on her.

Aurora's jaw dropped slightly as he took in the sight. Even with the drain on his magic from the shield, his eyes paled as he spread his magic out further to check their situation. Normally his sensory magic could pick up ponies around him like a bright beacon that broadcast their emotions. The shock and fear radiating off Fluttershy and Deep Note were strong examples at the moment. Rainbow's was dulled but there, surprisingly calm as she lay in a restful state. Scootaloo's however...It was flickering weakly, carrying nothing but intense desire to get her sister to safety. Even that was starting to falter though.

She was actually closer to death than the pony she was carrying.

"S-see?" Scootaloo said, staring forward as she smiled weakly, nearly collapsing as she stopped. "Told you...Sis. Told you..."

Aurora rushed forward immediately, knowing the other two were moving with him. He reined his sensory magic back in and dropped the shield for a brief moment before expanding it as he reached the stricken duo. Enough to encompass all five of them at once. He didn't need to look to Fluttershy and Deep to confirm that they needed to go immediately. He focused all the magic he had left into his horn and put the image of what they had found to the back of his mind. They needed to get the best help possible, and that meant heading back to Canterlot Central Hospital.

His magic poured into the spell and he teleported them out, silently praying he wasn't too late.

Chapter 25 - No Rest for the Wicked

November 3rd

How many times had they been through this now? Sitting in a tense, muted hospital lounge in the dead of night, waiting to learn how badly mauled another of their friends had been? Or if it was something even worse? It was easy to think about how they might be closer to the end at this point, when everypony was there to back her up. But as the saying went, things usually got worse before they got better.

Twilight stayed silent as she glanced out of the window, staring at the night lights that illuminated central Canterlot. It was roughly half past one in the morning and she had been there since the sun had set. Her concerns about Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo had initially been put aside as her duties called, several Ponyville residents coming to the castle for advice and support throughout the afternoon. That had brought her a brief respite, a sense of familiarity and calm. A feeling of the old days. One that was instantly shattered once she had finished, only to be greeted by a weary Aurora with news of the search. How they were both fighting for their lives. Everypony that had been gathered in the map room earlier had immediately headed for Canterlot to wait, and hope.

All of them had stuck together as the evening set in. Even Starlight had come by during visiting hours to offer what little support she could, though she had soon been taken back to her ward by the nurses. By this point, Trixie, Deep Note and Peace Walker had headed out to find accommodations for anypony who chose to stay in the city overnight. Aurora was laid out asleep on two of the waiting room chairs, exhausted from helping Fluttershy check on her foals before rejoining the others, after everything else he had gone through today. She was replaying the favour by watching over him. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were sitting together right by the door, ready to see their friend as soon as the option opened up. Applejack was also in a fitful sleep, leaned against Spike as he sat deep in thought.

Twilight shook her head silently as she looked down. She was trying to stay strong for everypony's sake, to give her friends something to look up to. But in moments like these, when her thoughts began to wander, she could only see faces and hear names in her head. Every one of the ponies killed or crippled because she was letting Tantabus slip away again and again. Ponies with families and loved ones, dreams and desires. All suddenly and permanently torn away from them because of her. Because her best wasn't good enough anymore.

She should have worked faster at the vault, then she could have rejoined the fight there in time. Or she could have gone out to the farms instead of Sergeant Tempest's squad, where she could have fought much harder than the limits imposed on her in Ponyville, maybe even...Her dark thoughts were shaken apart as the sound of a door opening broke through the silence. She looked up to see Moondancer entering the waiting room, a pair of goggles hanging from her horn and a drained expression on her face. She looked like she was struggling just as much as anypony else in the room.

"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked as she got to her hooves. It took her a moment after saying it to realise how blunt that sounded, but hopefully the others would note how drained her voice was. If anypony had noticed, they didn't say anything.

"I came as soon as I heard," Moondancer replied, stepping aside slightly as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got up next to her. "I wanted to see if I could do anything for Rainbow Dash. Find a way to reattach her wings, or at least have a starting point on making a new pair."

"You think you can?" Spike asked hopefully, looking down and gently rousing Applejack. Fluttershy attempted to do the same for Aurora, only for him to glance around with bleary eyes and fall asleep again.

"Well, engineering another personalised set of bionic wings would take weeks. The ones Rainbow Dash had were the first publicly used prototype we had. But it would be possible..."

"But, there's a hitch, right?" Applejack interjected, stifling a yawn.

Moondancer hesitated at that, reaching up and lifting the strap on her goggles back until they rested behind her ears. Twilight recognised what she was doing as she brought her goggles down over her eyes. It was something she had done a lot with her glasses when they were in school. Putting something between herself and the pony she was talking to, a minor shield for herself. She wouldn't be looking them directly in the eye this way. That only confirmed her fears that something had gone wrong. It was the smallest of comforts that she was able to brace herself for this piece of news. The others were similarly readying themselves for the worst, nopony looking optimistic anymore.

"I was allowed to study the report of Rainbow's injuries to see what would be needed. But, there was no surgical precision in the way Tantabus removed her wings. Just...Raw destruction...The nerve endings that channelled her inherent magic to work the wings were damaged beyond repair in the process. I want to say that a possibility remains that something could be done if we can made further medical advances, and I want to believe it even more. But with the limitations we have at the moment...It's likely that Rainbow will never fly again."

The mood in the room soured instantly at those words. Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle both stifled a gasp, tears forming in the former's eyes. Apple Bloom stared at the wall behind Moondancer, looking crestfallen. Spike and Applejack shared a shocked look. Twilight was the only one who showed no reaction. Not any outward one at least. She just felt, numb. As much as she wished she could at least feel saddened over what had happened, right now it was just another addition to the number of lives she had indirectly ruined. She knew there would likely be a point where all her emotions would come crashing down on her soon, hopefully once she was on her own, but for now she just remained rooted in place. The room remained silent for a full minute as the news set in, nopony seeming willing, or able, to break it.

"And...Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom eventually asked, shaking everypony out of their stupor.

"I was able to see her condition after her surgery. She came dangerously close to bleeding herself out to save Rainbow and needed multiple blood transfusions, but she's been stabilized. Although her injuries weren't as bad, there was some possible damage done to the muscles around her left eye. She's in good hooves now though, if they can fix it they will."

Sweetie Belle let out a small squeak at the news, halfway between elated and terrified. Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief and moved to support her friend, giving her a reassuring hug. Everypony else began to relax at the news as well. After the day's turn of events, Knowing that they weren't going to be losing any more of their friends was the best result they could have hoped for. Even Twilight managed to feel the relief breaking through her numbness and allowing her to bring a small smile to her face.

"Don't suppose that we can see her?" Apple Bloom asked hopefully. Moondancer looked over at her and lifted her goggles up in her magic. She had to be picking up on the more positive mood if she was letting her defences down.

"She's still asleep at the moment," She told the group, some tension leaving her voice. "Rainbow was awake when I left though, actually asking if you all were here. I double checked with the nurses before coming and they said you could go in if you were quick and quiet."

"Well let's not waste any time," Twilight said, stepping forward. "Who's coming?"

"You even need to ask?" Applejack replied, stepping up with her. Fluttershy, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle followed suit.

"I'll hang back for now," Spike told her, getting up and settling himself across several seats. "It'll keep things from getting crowded and I can fill Aurora in if he wakes up."

Twilight nodded and followed Moondancer out of the room, trying to keep her thoughts clear as they headed into the hallways. Part of her wasn't sure if she'd be able to do this, to go into that hospital ward and see more of her friends in such a state. She wanted to be there for them, but each time wore down the defences she'd built around her heart. Each one weakened that resolve, and those defences were already buckling after what happened in Ponyville. She bit the feeling back down for now and kept walking. It could be discussed with Spike in the morning, he'd know the best way for her to keep focused...That thought made her realise just how much she relied upon his guidance and support these days, in contrast to when he had been growing up alongside her. Suddenly she missed those simpler times.

She was so lost in thought that she almost walked into the back of Moondancer. She glanced back at Twilight, but recognised the look in her eyes and didn't draw attention to it. Once the other four were behind them they stepped into the ward together. Roughly three-quarters of the two dozen beds inside were occupied, a few of the more seriously injured during the attack on Ponyville among them. Rainbow Dash was in a bed halfway down the left side of the room, staring blankly at the ceiling. On hearing the group coming in she turned her head to face them and managed to give a weak, yet empty smile.

"Hey guys..." Rainbow said quietly as they reached her, lifting a hoof in greeting. "Sorry it came to this."

"Hey, you an' Scootaloo are still alive. That oughta count for something." Applejack told her, giving her a small hoofbump. It was a small gesture, but one that put some more warmth into Rainbow's smile.

"Yeah. Moondancer filled me in on what happened. Scoots went above and beyond for me out there. Too far. I mean, she did save my life but..."

"Is she here too?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking around the ward, her voice at a whisper to avoid disturbing anypony else.

"Near the end. She's still sleeping off her surgery though. I haven't seen how bad it is yet," Rainbow sucked some air through her teeth and glanced over toward Scootaloo's bed. "That's the worst part for me. If she suffered because I underestimated Tantabus' hoof fighting..."

As the others did their best to comfort her, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle moved to check on their friend. The voices behind them were hushed to keep things quiet and they did their best to keep their hoofsteps light as well. Scootaloo's bed was one from the end on the other side, easy to distinguish with her colours. As they reached the foot of the bed they stopped and took in the state she was in.

Despite the nurses and surgeon's best effort to clean her up, there was still traces of dried blood matting the fur on the left side of her face. Her left eye was entirely covered up by a white eye patch that had been placed on top of the bandages wrapped around the top of her head. Although she was sound asleep, there was the occasional twitch or tensing from what parts of her face were visible. Either she was conscious enough to dream, and possibly remember what she'd been through, or she was still in pain. Neither option sounded better to the two crusaders.

"D...D'ya think her eye's alright?" Bloom finally asked, sounding shaken at the sight. Despite being comparatively stoic compared to her friends, she looked every bit as rattled as she sounded.

"...I think so," Sweetie replied after a few moments, looking over at her friend. "Doctors always take the cautious option, so they're probably just making sure she doesn't have to use it. Right?"

"Right..." Bloom said flatly after a few seconds, tensing up slightly. Her composure was slipping even further, sounding like she was starting to fight back tears. Sweetie picked up on what was going through her head and turned toward her with a sympathetic look.

"I know it's not much comfort, but this isn't like Pinkie Pie, or Rarity. Scootaloo is going to be fine, we're going to beat Tantabus and stick together through it like we always do."

"Ah know. Ah know we're gonna do it, it's just tough when I think about what it's taken so far."

Apple Bloom's voice had dropped to barely a whisper by the end of that sentence, staring down at the foot of the bed. Sweetie Belle looked at her silently before moving in and wrapping a hoof around her shoulders, easier than it used to be with her stature. Bloom leaned into the hug and held herself there for a few seconds, a shaky breath escaping her as she did. Sweetie rested her head on her friend's and hugged her tighter, sharing the fear and stress between them for a few, all too brief moments.

"We'll find a way to let it all out tomorrow if need be." The unicorn added as she let the hug go.

"Alright. I'm good for now, thanks to you." Bloom told her, quickly sighing and managing to flash a reassuring smile.

The two of them straightened themselves up before moving to rejoin the others. Twilight was hanging back slightly from everypony else, looking like she hadn't said a word the whole time. Applejack was looking down at where Rainbow's wings would have been, her expression unreadable. Moondancer had stepped back as well, goggles back on, seemingly fighting back tears. Sweetie made a mental note to see if she could help her as well. It just seemed right.

"-Not too much to ask," Fluttershy was saying as they came back up to the group. "But, are you feeling alright?"

"Honestly..." Rainbow leaned back into her pillow and stared back at the ceiling. "I don't think its actually sunk in yet. Not had the moment where I look in the mirror and see that there's nothing there to spread anymore. It's like I'm dreaming, wanting to get up and fly again, keep myself in the fight. At the same time though...I already know I can't..."

Nopony knew what to say to that.

"Sorry, didn't mean to get so down," She continued when she realised nopony was going to respond. "I'm tired and on quite a few painkillers."

"We'll let you rest then," Twilight told her, stepping forward again. "Just focus on getting yourself back recovered for now."

"No promises." Rainbow replied, attempting to chuckle but quickly slipping into a yawn.

The six ponies made their farewells and quietly made their way out of the ward. Twilight could pick up on how everypony was feeling at this point. Worryingly, they all felt very similar to how she did: Stressed and disheartened. She didn't know what she could say or do to make them feel any better right now. If she had just gone instead of them, none of this would have happened. She knew it...As they headed out into the hallways again she took a last look back, at least satisfied that Rainbow seemed to be drifting off to sleep already. Once she'd stepped back out she turned to head back to the waiting lounge, only to realise that everypony had stopped.

"Twilight!" Spike's voice came from down the hallway, drawing the princess' attention. She turned to see the dragon headed toward them, slightly reared up and a scroll clutched in his hand.

"Spike? What's wrong?" She asked as she stepped forward.

"Hopefully nothing. I just got this from Princess Celestia." He told her, holding the scroll out.

Twilight took it in her magic and opened it up, reading quickly.

My dearest Twilight,

I wish this letter could be sent at a better time, but this was my only chance before Luna will need my support tonight. Your news of what happened in the Badlands was, heartbreaking. If anything can be done for Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, please don't hesitate to let me know, and pass on my admiration for their bravery in such a cursed place.

As soon as the moon had been raised I set out for the former changeling hive they found Tantabus using as a base. I searched every inch of the surrounding area, tore the mountain asunder to find the lekli...She was already gone. There was nothing left to find, except for the remains of Rainbow Dash's replacement wings. I can only apologise for my failure to take action in time, and my inability to help further.

Luna's condition is still getting worse. I'm not sure I can risk leaving her for such an extended period again. With the added tensions in the Crystal Empire and their effects on Equestria, I must put my efforts into keeping the peace among ponies. I can only trust that you and your friends will be able to return Tantabus to Luna, no matter what.

Please, Twilight. Save my sister.

Celestia

That was it. This had all been for nothing.

Twilight kept staring at the letter until her magic faltered and it fluttered to the floor. She knew the questions would come in moments and she wasn't ready to answer any of them.

"I...I need some time to think." She told the others before teleporting outside the hospital, reappearing at the main entrance onto the streets of Canterlot. Her voice, her whole body, had been wavering and she didn't know how long she could hold it in. As she took to the air to search for where Trixie's group might have gone, she decided to take her time doing so. It was better this way.

Nopony would see her tears against the night sky.

Chapter 26 - Somepony to Fight For

Ponyville
November 4th

An unexpectedly warm morning was rising across Ponyville, scattered rays of light breaking through the cloud layer and illuminating the area with a faint golden glow. On almost any other day, it would have a striking sight. Now though, all it served to do was highlight how close the town and it's residents had come to being broken. Little over a week had passed since Tantabus had engaged in her night of terror and few ponies, if any, had chosen to come back. Efforts to make sure that damaged buildings were safe was still ongoing and repair efforts were only just beginning to get underway. The streets were quiet as the ponies that remained did their best to maintain their day-to-day lives, but there was no denying the atmosphere of the town had shifted to something deeply sombre. Perhaps irrevocably.

Deep Note slowly looked around as he made his way past the wreckage of town hall. This was one of the worst hit areas. Scores of the gravel pathways had been gouged out by hooves digging in or magic impacts. All the surrounding buildings bore scorch marks or the remains of fire damage. Rubble and wood were spread everywhere despite the best efforts of cleanup crews. Over half of the hall itself was missing, much of that damaged by Tantabus' actions and the rest removed to prevent further collapse. It was a fitting representation of the overall situation, everypony was trying to stand strong but their will was being steadily eroded by everything that had happened.

A rush of wind blew through the open space and Deep shivered slightly, readjusting his wings. It may just have been his imagination but every time he felt the wind these days, he always felt a little unsettled. Maybe it was the effects of the Crystal Heart steadily spreading southward, circulating fear and uncertainty throughout Equestria. If that was the case, then he wasn't the only one who was picking up on this feeling. Everypony on the continent could be feeling this right now. He knew that fixing that particular part of the whole situation was in the hooves of Cadance, Shining Armor and Aurora, but it still would have been nicer to know he could do something. Anything to feel like he had a reason to be here right now.

"Excuse me, sir?" A voice came from behind Deep. He blinked himself out of his thoughts and turned to see a mauve earth mare approaching him, amber maned, brown eyed and carrying what looked like a small sheet of cardboard on her back.

"Can I help you?" He asked, hoping it didn't sound too much like he'd been caught by surprise.

"I hope so. I'm looking for a stallion called Quick Fix. He lives somewhere in town. Red coat, yellow mane, slightly shorter than you. Have you seen him?"

Deep paused as he remembered the last time he had seen Quick. On the night of the attack, huddled up on a chair, looking so utterly shattered by his ordeal that a faint gust of wind would send him into a total breakdown. As painful as the memory was, it suddenly gave the pegasus an idea of what this might be about.

"Yes. Yes I know him," He replied, tucking his wings in slightly tighter. "He's currently in Canterlot, receiving help he needs after what happened here."

"I see..." The mare looked down in thought for a moment before looking back at him. "Do you think you know anypony that can contact him?"

Deep nodded. If he wasn't able to talk to Quick, then one of the others surely would. Twilight would probably welcome the positive break as much as he was. The mare smiled and took the sheet off her back and passed it to him. He took it in his hooves and looked it over. It was actually a hoofmade card, drawn by a foal from the looks of it. The front had a silver earth filly on it with a happy look on her face and the words 'Thank you!' written above her.

"My daughter, Silver Shine, made this for Quick while she's recovering in hospital," She explained. "He pulled her from a collapsed building that night. Saved her life. Please, let him know that her entire family can't thank him enough for what he did."

"Of course, I'll make sure this gets to him. He could use the good news," He told her, smiling softly as he looked down at the card. "What about your name? I'm sure he'd appreciate knowing who's thanking him."

"Clematis. A-and thank you too."

Deep nodded and stepped back to take off, holding onto the card tightly. As Clematis headed back the way she'd come from, he watched her go with a steadily growing smile. After everything that had happened, all the steps backward, it was easy to forget that they were still doing good for many ponies. He himself had been doing his best after the attack, working with Sweetie Belle to comfort lost fillies and colts until they could be reunited with family or guardians. Seeing the looks on their faces when they were safe again, held in the hooves of their parents, those were the kind of small victories he had to take with both hooves. They would keep him going. Just as this would help Quick at a time when he badly needed it.

He took to the air and headed back toward Twilight's castle, wondering if anypony was headed to Canterlot today. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had chosen to stay in the capital for a few days and Fluttershy was completely occupied with personal business in Cloudsdale. Maybe Aurora would be willing to quickly take it, but Trixie was an option too. She looked like she was already headed out of town. He blinked as he realised what he'd been thinking and stopped in mid-air, looking again.

He could definitely see a wagon that looked a lot the one kept at Trixie's house, headed on the main road leading west out of Ponyville. Though he couldn't see the face of the pony pulling it, her old magician's hat and cape were unmistakeable. If what Scootaloo had told him about her was true, she hadn't worn those in years. What exactly was she doing? Deep dropped into a glide and brought himself back to the ground, landing at a quick walk. He quickly tucking the card securely under his wing and moved to catch up.

"Trixie, hold up!" He called as he came up alongside the wagon. It gave him time to get up alongside her. She was trying to hide her face with her hat but it was evident she was cringing about being caught like this. "What're you doing?"

"Well, ah, see...Trixie is...Just...One thing..." Trixie stammered before sighing and lifting her hat back up. She looked as though she'd had a restless night, her eyes filled with concern and doubts. "I was, leaving. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it for everypony and with everything going on, it'd probably be days before anypony noticed."

"W-what?" Deep asked in surprise. He had a gut feeling that he wouldn't be able to convince her to stay on his own, but he didn't want to let her go without reason. "Why?"

Trixie stayed silent for a few seconds before looking back toward Twilight's castle. Although it was still standing strong, it looked like it had been partly skinned with roughly a third of its exterior crystals missing. Then she looked back at her wagon. The silence hung between them for a good twenty seconds as her jaw moved wordlessly. As if she was struggling to admit it to herself as much as she would be to Deep.

"I'm scared," She finally admitted, looking back at the pegasus next to her. "This, what I'm wearing, what's in here, they're all I have left. Everything else is now in a pile of crystal crushed rubble that used to be my house. My best friend in the whole world is lying in a hospital bed, half-blinded, and she's far better at dealing with this kind of thing than me. Add in what happened to Rainbow Dash and...I-I don't think I could take staying and losing anything, anypony more."

"Where would you go though?"

"Las Pegasus. I have some friends there that I haven't seen in a long time. Some old regrets I need to clear up. At this point, I don't know if I'm going to get another chance," Trixie paused to adjust her cloak with her magic, pulling it a little tighter against her neck. The way it rose above that obscured her face slightly. "I know what you must be thinking...And you're right. She was right."

"She?" Deep asked with gentle concern, doing his best just to keep up with what he was hearing. Her fears were understandable, but what was this about? "What do you mean?"

"Tantabus. 'A sentimental fool with the strength of an infant, and a coward.' That was what she said to me and Sweetie Belle in the vault, when she had us with our backs to the forcefield. Anypony who even suspected who was there can tell the second one was referring to me. I've tried to prove otherwise, I really have. But, I just keep running whenever things get too tough. This is the third time I've run from this town with my tail between my legs. Because I couldn't do the right thing when it mattered. I just can't be a hero, I can't be anything more than a coward."

"Trixie, listen to me," Deep told her, moving in front of her without thinking and placing a hoof on her shoulder. "If you had focused only on saving yourself in the vault, or in Ponyville, or if you'd refused to fight at all, those would have been the actions of a coward. But you chose to help. You stayed standing in the face of evil when it mattered most. Heck, if what the others said about the vault was true, you were the first pony to actually counter Tantabus with your talents. The only one besides Twilight to actually hurt her. You might be looking at yourself as somepony who can't measure up to Twilight, but a lot of ponies would consider you a great and powerful hero, just one who needs some time to collect herself."

Trixie froze slightly at those words. Deep paused, wondering if he'd said the wrong thing, until he realised that she was smiling. It was a small one and she was trying to hide it at first. Then she lifted her hat back and it became a more genuine smile as she relaxed again.

"Thanks," She finally said, looking back again. "I mean, I still don't think I could do much more if things got serious again. But it's nice to know somepony believes in me."

"Everypony needs somepony like that. If you need to go, you can. I'll make sure the others understand."

She nodded and looked down. Several awkward seconds passed as they both tried to think of how to make any further farewells. Eventually Trixie simply nodded in thanks and started to continue on her way again. Deep stepped aside and waved to her, though his mind was roaming elsewhere already.

She'd had a point. For all they knew, Tantabus could drop the moon on Equestria tomorrow and they would all be dead, leaving so many things unfulfilled. While he had a few regrets of his own, most of them were petty things that he could live with. One though, nestled deep in his heart for the past year, was a question that he needed to hear an answer to. Up until now, he'd been putting doing his part above all else. Now though, with this lull giving him the chance, he realised that he needed to find out what that answer was. While he still could.

He took off again and headed for the castle. It would only take a minute to find out how to get the card to Quick and he'd been waiting so long for this moment. What was this little bit more. For once though, he would be savouring the wait instead of supressing it.

The wind was picking up, the howls it made rushing between the trees audible throughout the whole orchard. It used to scare her when she was a foal. Too similar to the eerie howls of timberwolves that plagued her nightmares. Nowadays though, it was comforting, a sign that the chaos of the world was elsewhere instead of concentrated around her.

Applejack smiled to herself as she lay back on the grass, panting softly as she cloudwatched. She'd needed some time to step back and get her thoughts in order, away from the pressures of being an Element of Harmony. She'd been falling behind on her workouts too, so getting in some exercise to unwind was filling two apple buckets with one buck. There were few things that made her truly relaxed anymore, but keeping herself strong and simply appreciating the world around her afterward were two of them. As she spotted a pegasus in the sky above, headed toward the farm, she smile more as she remembered a third thing.

More specifically, a third somepony.

As she realised it was Deep Note dropping down toward her, she felt a comforting warmth emerging inside her that held off the chill in the wind. She hadn't felt this inside her for months, since that frozen January day where they had briefly hugged before he had left for home. She'd felt a flicker of it on seeing him again in Canterlot weeks ago, feeling it in full was like being in her most pleasant dreams. She'd missed that feeling. With that thought in mind, she rolled back onto her front and stood up, watching him come in to land.

"Howdy!" She called up once she was sure he was in earshot, stepping back to let him gently land in front of her.

"Heya AJ," He said happily as he straightened up in front of her, taking her in. "Not wearing the hat today?"

"Nah. Gets in the way when I'm exercising."

"Ah," Deep smiled more as he took another look at her physique. Her muscles were slightly less toned than they had been in the winter, but she was still a powerhouse of a mare. It suited her. "Glad to see you feel good about your looks."

"Glad to be around somepony who doesn't mind it," She countered, looking down for a moment before looking back to him. It wasn't worth dwelling on right now. "So, what's happening?"

"Well, I actually wanted to talk to you. I've been doing some thinking..."

Applejack nodded, sitting down and readying herself. Even with her rather embarrassing lack of a love life, she'd picked up enough from being around Big Mac and Apple Bloom to know that this was leading somewhere important.

"It's about us, right?" She asked gently. Deep nodded and sat down in front of her, looking like he was thinking through what he wanted to say in his head, yet not sure if he should go through with it. She did her best to flash him a reassuring look, silently telling him that she would listen to whatever he wanted to say.

"Yeah...Well, that and a discussion I had with Trixie. She helped me realise that I've been holding onto something I've needed to ask for some time," He finally told her, doing his best not to sound nervous. "Applejack, firstly...There is still something between us, isn't there?"

"Of course, sugarcube. That feeling's still there." She told him warmly, placing a hoof on his shoulder.

"Okay, cool," Deep blushed as he looked down at the hoof and placed one of his on top of it. "So, we both still have those feelings, and I'm not very good at this kind of thing. But, I want to be able to explore those feelings further. I feel like there may be something more between us, if you wanted to find out."

Now it was Applejack's turn to blush, blinking in surprise as she took his words in. Deep down, she knew that she wanted to see where her feelings went too. Most of her hesitation had come from being uncertain if her feelings were stronger for Deep or for Bounty, but that decision had already been made for her, much as it hurt to admit. As it was, she wanted to say yes. But she had to be sure he knew just what he was getting into if he was serious.

"Are...Are ya sure?" She finally asked, thinking through her words so as not to drive him off. "It ain't exactly an easy thing to date an element ya know. You've seen what we can be up against, and the risks involved. Being away from each other for days at a time, easily more. Don't get me wrong, ah know I want to see what we have too. I just don't want to hurt you by subjecting you to something you're not ready for."

"I know..." Deep replied, looking up in thought for a few moments before looking back at her, determination etched onto his face. "But if one day, you come back from a tough friendship mission, worn down and ready to just shun the world for a bit, and the sight of me waiting for you lifts your spirits again...Then I think it'd be worth it."

That welcome warmth in her heart was flooding back in with those words. She wanted to hold onto him and not let go this time. She had to settle for bringing her other hoof up and pulling the pegasus into a tight hug. She could feel him bring his hooves round to return the embrace once he was over the initial shock, how firmly he held it telling her all she needed to know. If they both made it through this, they would be able to see just how far their bond went.

"Thank you." She whispered softly.

Author's Note

When I started writing Black Sun, 100,000 words was the benchmark for my final word count. The fact I've managed to reach it 2/3rds of the way through is a huge relief to me, as is the fact everyone still seems to be enjoying it is too.

And then I go and mark it with this chapter. Sorry about that :twilightsheepish:

Chapter 27 - Sparks of Life and Shadow

"So...How bad do you think it is?"

Sweetie Belle paused mid-step and looked back at Apple Bloom's question. She'd been silent all day, her thoughts as mystery as the two of them had woken in their hotel room and made their way back to the hospital for morning visiting hours. Although they had both been shaken by what had happened to Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, but to hear the normally resolute earth mare so shaken and pessimistic...It was one of the CMC's lowest moments.

"Wh-what do you mean?" She asked, unable to keep the worry out of her voice. "We agreed that it wasn't serious, right?"

"Ah know," Bloom replied as she kept walking, Sweetie falling into step beside her. "But it's never that simple is it? We still haven't seen Scoots' injuries. But with what happened to Rainbow Dash, I just can't see it being much better."

Sweetie didn't know how to respond to that, looking forward again and letting the discussion hang as the kept walking. In truth, she knew that the odds of her own comforting words matching up to reality were very low. They had to keep hoping for the best though, in the face of the whole world seemingly against them. Hope was the one thing she couldn't afford to lose.

As the two of them entered the wards, they stopped at the sight before them. Scootaloo was headed toward them, fresh bandages on her head and eyepatch still in place. She still seemed a little unsteady on her hooves, but Rainbow was by her side as somepony to lean on. The older mare still had her bandages on as well, small protrusions where her wings used to be the only visible evidence of her injuries.

"Hey guys," Scootaloo said as they approached, straightening herself up. "Sorry if you were coming to check on me. The doc decided to schedule our next treatments in a few minutes. Probably thought I'd be done and rested for visitors in the evening."

"We're practically heading for the same area, so I figured I should help her there," Rainbow added, sounding better than she had the last time they'd met. "Least I can do after you saved my life, kid."

"I thought that'd just make us even after what happened at Winsome Falls." Scootaloo replied. Rainbow tilted her head in thought for a few moments before nodding.

"So, are you both...Doing okay?" Sweetie Belle eventually asked, shifting her weight on her hooves. Rainbow's smile faded slightly at the question, but she kept her composure.

"Let's just say, that it still hasn't fully hit yet." She answered simply, her gaze becoming ever so slightly fixed forward. She had to be putting a brave face on at this point.

"I'm still adjusting, my vision just gets thrown off a little from time to time." Scootaloo added, sounding a lot more casual about it.

"Adjusting to what? What happened to you?" Apple Bloom suddenly exclaimed, desperation creeping into her voice. Scootaloo hesitated at the questions, her mouth opening and closing without a word coming out. Eventually she sighed softly and sat down.

"Short version, my stunt injury from last year was made about fifty times worse. The doctors used a lot of fancy terms for it all like 'Levator Palpebrae', but it basically means a few muscles near my eye got cut up and they might be too small and twitchy to fix."

As the three others watched, she shut her good eye and lifted the eyepatch above her injured one. She then raised a hoof over them and held it there to let her eye adjust to the light. As she lowered it again and let them see, she tensed at the reactions. Rainbow Dash simply looked at her grimly, Apple Bloom grimaced at the sight and Sweetie Belle actually recoiled slightly before she could stop herself. The unicorn mentally kicked herself for it, but she had just been caught that off guard.

Scootaloo's bandages ran right down to the edge of her left eye, covering the wound, but even that wasn't able to hide the matted and rough fur around it. Where her upper eyelid had normally sat a centimetre or two lower than usual after her accident the year before, now it was practically hanging shut. The eyeball itself was rolled down to the bottom of her eye. It almost seemed as though she was simply looking that way, if not for the fact her right eye looking straight ahead. After a second she squeezed them shut again, holding it before opening them once more. Now her left eye was sitting normally, but it looked like she was squinting hard to do so.

"There we go," She said to herself as she fixed her gaze upon her friends again. "I can still see no problem, just that I can only look straight like this for a minute or two without straining myself. The eyepatch is to keep me from risking overdoing it. Though it...It might be needed for good."

Nopony said a word as she lowered the eyepatch back into place and blinked rapidly. None of them knew what to say in a situation like this.

"We'll be okay girls," Rainbow eventually told Sweetie and Bloom, confidence creeping back into her voice. "We'll just need a few days to get our strength back and then we'll help you save Equestria when the time comes."

"Right. Just like usual." Sweetie replied, doing her best to sound optimistic. Bloom simply nodded and patted Scootaloo's shoulder before stepping aside to let the pegasi past.

"Like usual...When did seeing ponies we love put in comas become the usual?" She asked quietly as they continued on toward the wards.

"At least we can still let them know what they mean to us." Sweetie replied as she followed. Although Apple Bloom's expression didn't change, she did speed up slightly.

The rest of the walk to the wards was made in silence. The atmosphere had shifted slightly though. There was an underlying sense of longing, of comfort at the thought of those not present. Sweetie Belle knew better than to try and disturb her friend when she was on a mission like this. Before long they reached the ward where Rarity and Pinkie Pie were, still as if they were merely sleeping. Another visitor had arrived before them, a cream earth mare sitting at Rarity's bedside with her back to them. Even so, they recognised her instantly.

"Miss Pommel?" Apple Bloom asked in surprise, waiting for her to turn toward them. "What in tarnation are you doing here?"

"I, needed to talk to Rarity." Coco explained. As they came up to her, they could see her hind right leg was bound in a cast and splint. Another fresh reminder of the attack on Ponyville. The fact that her injury hadn't been classed as severe enough to be treated at the hospital at that time only made it worse.

"What about?" Sweetie asked as she stepped up alongside her friend. There was a look in her eyes, distant and eerily reminiscent of her 'White Phoenix' gaze, yet with a new strength of will behind it.

"Carousel Boutique," Coco replied quietly, looking up at Rarity's damaged horn. "It could be months before Rarity can start running the shop again, if she can at all. Somepony has to keep it going until that time comes."

"And you'd like to try?" Sweetie looked down at her sister and took a still hoof in her own. "What would you think, sis? I know you always though highly of Coco. I'm sure she'd look after the boutique as well as you would."

"I would do my best," Coco affirmed. "You never gave up on me after everything that happened in Manehatten, even when it felt like all Equestria was ready to turn against me. Now it's my turn to stay strong for you. When you wake up, I'll have done everything I can to keep everything you worked for strong. I promise."

Sweetie nodded, holding Rarity's hoof a little tighter. She didn't need to say anything more when just being able to be here was enough to take the weight off her shoulders. Coco stayed next to her, knowing better than to disturb the moment. A slight sound of movement to her left drew her attention to Apple Bloom, who was now looking over toward Pinkie's bed before looking back at her. She only needed to give the smallest of nods, letting her friend go. She'd be there for support if need be.

"Heya, Pinball..." Bloom said quietly as she sat down at Pinkie's side, stroking her mane gently. "I've missed ya. I'd like to say things are getting better, but we're kinda struggling. I'm not the only one wishing you were setting up a party right now. I don't know how much of this makes sense in your head at the moment but, everypony's hoping you'll be alright. Especially me. I still love you, always will."

She leaned down and kissed Pinkie's forehead softly. As affectionate as it was, it sounded like she was trying to stifle her sadness in the process. Sweetie watched her quietly for a moment before her ears twitched, picking up the ward doors opening again. She looked round and her eyes widened slightly at who was now making her way between the beds. Maud Pie, looking as stoic as ever. The only real difference between how she had looked when they first met years ago and now was a half dozen light scars running down the length of her back.

"Maud...?" Bloom said in surprise as she noticed the newcomer. Maud blinked slowly in response and walked up to the other side of Pinkie's bed.

"Hello, Apple Bloom. Hello, Pinkie Pie. I hope I haven't come at a bad time." She said in her usual monotone. Even if she wasn't showing it externally, there was a shine in her eyes that betrayed just how hard this whole situation was for her.

"No, not at all. I was simply catching up while I could."

"I see..." Maud looked down at Pinkie, staring for a few moment before looking back up. "Can I talk to her for a minute?"

"Yeah...Yeah, of course." Apple Bloom's voice cracked slightly as she stepped back slightly. Maud stared at her for a moment before sitting down by the bed, looking at her sister intently.

"Pinkie..." She paused briefly, seemingly trying to find the right words. "Do you remember how you used to talk about being the best aunt possible, when you found out our family tradition? I know you were upset when I couldn't have a foal and Limestone...Couldn't either. That might be about to change."

Maud looked down to check if there was any reaction. Although Pinkie didn't move a muscle, a ghost of a smile still came to Maud's face as she placed a hoof on her little sister's.

"I've been talking to a mare called Moondancer, you'll know her. I don't know much about science that doesn't involve rocks, but I know she told me that with magic and some help, I could have a foal," She continued, her face and voice still refusing to betray any emotions. "I don't need to tell you how happy that would make me. I'm going to go find out if it can happen after this. So, hopefully you won't oversleep this time. I can you and Marble understand missing my geode analysis session when you were six, but I know you won't want to miss this."

"Ya hear that?" Apple Bloom suddenly spoke up, moving back to her side of the bed. "We got something waiting for us when you wake up. Ah know you'll end up throwing the greatest party ever when you meet them for the first time...I can't imagine what you'd do if we ended up having a foal. Maybe...One day."

As she kept watching and listening, Sweetie Belle tilted her head in thought. Part of her had always wanted to have a family of her own one day, but she'd never paid much thought to who it would be with. She'd never really felt much of a spark for any stallions in her life and none of them had shown much interest beyond the perks of being around a celebrity. Well, maybe one...The more she thought about it, the more she realised that she had somepony she needed to see once she had finished talking to Rarity. The others might have thought that she was rushing this idea slightly, but she didn't know if she'd have another chance.

The wind was picking up over Ponyville, buffeting her body and forcing her to keep making wing adjustments. Fluttershy normally enjoyed low altitude gliding over the town, taking in the serenity and using it to still her troubled thoughts. Now though, she couldn't even bring herself to look down at it. She looked over the Everfree, toward Canterlot, even back behind her where Cloudsdale was barely visible in the distance. Anything but having to look at the damage done below and feeling like she couldn't do a thing to stop it. The best she could do at the moment had been keep her animal friends safe from further harm.

Most of her free time since the attack had been spent securing alternate accommodation for the inhabitants of Angels Wildlife Sanctuary and ensuring they had arrived at their new homes. Combined with making sure her family was safe and supporting her friends, she'd been left with very little time for herself. Even this brief reprise was on the way to making sure Twilight was alright. It would be easy for most ponies to forget that there was always somepony having a harder time after everything that had happened. Even if Twilight was understandably strained with what she was going through, Fluttershy knew she had to try and help. Both as a friend and as the Element of Kindness.

As she dropped down toward Twilight's castle, she chose not to risk the damaged balcony and landed at the main doors. Everything was quiet around her and there was nopony in sight. She quickly headed inside and looked around for any signs of life. Everything was silent in the foyer, unchanged from her last visit aside from what looked like a thank you card left on a table against the right wall. The fact this part of the castle had been unscathed was soothing in a way. Familiarity providing momentary comfort.

"Twilight? Are you home?" Fluttershy called as she moved forward, listening as her voice echoed through the halls. When there was no reply she headed in to see if her friend was about. The map room, kitchen and library turned up nothing. It wasn't until she came to Twilight's bedroom that she found anypony. Peace Walker was standing at attention by the door, attempting to act like she was part of the Royal Guard. On hearing Fluttershy's approach she relaxed slightly and looked toward her.

"Hello, Fluttershy," Peace said as she glanced back toward the door. "If you're looking for Twilight, she's asleep at the moment."

"Oh...I understand." Fluttershy replied. She could understand that. Without the security of the dream realm, everypony was having trouble sleeping at the moment.

"Yeah, I think she's earned it...If you wanted to talk to me though, it'd be nice. I haven't seen anypony else all day."

"Well, um. You could always come out to talk to us." Fluttershy commented as she sat down next to Peace. The earth mare sighed to herself and sat down as well.

"I know. But being here, keeping watch, I feel like I'm actually doing some good. Plus...I'm still not sure about actually going out. I know I'm not keeping it together inside after losing...Well, everything and everypony close to me. What if I do something stupid and put you all at risk?"

"I don't think you would," Fluttershy told her reassuringly, drawing Peace's full attention. "You have something many of us don't right now; something to have faith in when everything else is gone. I can't say I understand it, but I know how important something like that is. You just need some faith in yourself too."

Peace stared at her for several seconds before taking a slow breath and closing her eyes. She leaned back fully against the wall and rested her front hooves on each other, bringing her chin down against her chest. She held the position for a full minute, Fluttershy watching her curiously. The religious practices of other races were actually rather fascinating to observe. Eventually Peace relaxed and looked up again, a faint smile on her face.

"You're right. The deities never stopped watching over me before, giving me strength when I was Sunset and Starlight's prisoner. They wouldn't let me down now. They seek the stability of the world, so I know I can't endanger a chance at that just for unlikely-"

Any further discussion was cut off by a loud thud coming from Twilight's room, followed by a furious cry. The two of them immediately shot to their hooves and rushed inside, anticipating any number of possible scenarios between them. Neither quite expected the actual situation however. Twilight was sitting in the middle of her bed, looking a mix of frustrated and worn out while wrapped in her bedsheets with her horn lit up. Spike was sprawled out against the opposite wall, picking himself up and rubbing the back of his damaged shoulder.

"What happened?!" Fluttershy asked quickly as she took the scene in. Peace had dropped into a combat posture next to her, though she relaxed out of it when she realised there was no sign of trouble.

"I still couldn't stay asleep and...Oh!" Twilight gasped and scrambled out of bed, her magic fading as she rushed over to Spike. "I-I'm so sorry!"

"My fault," Spike grunted as he got back to his feet and got his breath back. "I got a bit too deep into the dream and made you react."

"I'm glad you did. It was more of the same...All the names. Faces..." Twilight bit back a whimper and sat down again, holding her head in a hoof.

"Breathe, Twilight. Remember what we said about this," Spike told her before staggering toward the door. "I think I need some air after that one though."

"Yeah, okay. Err, Peace Walker? Could you go with Spike and make sure he's okay?"

Peace nodded and headed out of the room after Spike, looking like she wanted to ask him about something. Fluttershy watched them go before turning back to Twilight. She knew her friend well enough to know there was something crucial she wanted to talk about. Just between them. Sure enough, as soon as the door closed Twilight was on her hooves and moving toward her. Up close, it was clear just how much stress she was under, but there was something else in her eyes too. Fluttershy had no idea what it was, but she suddenly felt very uneasy at the sight.

"You've felt it too, haven't you?" Twilight asked, weariness creeping into her voice again. "When you come across a problem that you're trained to handle, yet it ended up being out of your control?"

"I have. More than I'd like." Fluttershy admitted. Years of caring for creatures of all sizes had given her roughly vet-level experience. Yet she had been through similar moments, where all her knowledge and expertise weren't enough to help when it mattered. Every one of them had hurt her, but she couldn't imagine how much every life was weighing on her friend.

"Then...There's something I need your input about."

Before Fluttershy could reply, Twilight's horn lit up again and the two of them were teleported away. She could feel the cold before the flash had even faded, instinctively pressing her wings closer to her body and shivering quickly. The area around them was difficult to make out; dark, rocky and the wind howling a gale just behind her. She glanced back to see a cave opening behind them, though any view beyond was obscured by a raging blizzard. When she looked forward again, Twilight had moved deeper into the cave, working away at a collapsed pathway that was just visible through the darkness.

"It's not that I don't trust we can't do it..." Twilight suddenly said as she lifted a small box from the rubble. Her voice was quiet, as if she were talking to herself as much as she was to Fluttershy. "But, I let the others fight for me at the vault and ponies died as a result. I tried to fight within my limits in Ponyville and that just caused even more deaths. I know I can win if I don't have to worry about anypony else. But...What if...?"

Fluttershy could hear the desire dripping from Twilight's voice, her tone shifting toward open intent as she finished speaking and opened the box. Without hesitation she lifted something out that made the pegasus freeze in place. The Alicorn Amulet. She had lived through what it could do, and there was no mistaking what Twilight had in mind.

Chapter 28 - A Battle of Spirits

"You can't! Trixie can tell you firsthoof what will happen if you put that on!" Fluttershy exclaimed as soon as the initial shock wore off. Twilight hesitated at those words and looked back at her, that same disturbing look in her eyes again.

"I'm an alicorn. I can-"

"You don't know you can control it! If you can't, you'll kill Sunset, leave Luna without any hope of recovering, and all those ponies will have died for nothing!"

Fluttershy put a hoof over her mouth as she finished speaking. That had come out of nowhere, but she had been more shocked that Twilight was even considering this. Was she really so convinced that only she could end this now? And in this way? Twilight remained silent at the outburst, looking down at the amulet in her magic. Just as she was starting to lower it, the sound of somepony else teleporting in behind them drew their attention. They both spun round to see Aurora rush up to them, his face halfway between determination and fear.

"Twilight!" He called as he skidded to a halt beside Fluttershy, either not noticing the Alicorn Amulet or not caring. "Ponyville's weather team just reported a major fire in the Everfree Forest and that they were fired on when trying to investigate. It's Tantabus."

"...Take Fluttershy back to Ponyville and make sure everypony else is okay," Twilight told him as she turned to them, sounding more like her old self. "I'll deal with Tantabus."

Aurora nodded and motioned for Fluttershy to join him. As she did so, she took a last look back at Twilight. The amulet was hidden behind her back and that look was back in her eyes. The sight left a sinking feeling in the pegasus' gut but before she could say anything, Aurora's horn lit up and they were gone.

Fifteen minutes earlier...

Everything was still. Not a breath of wind moved through the halls of the castle or the trees outside. In the realm of concentrated danger and chaos that was the Everfree Forest, the Castle of the Two Sisters was the eye of the storm. For over a thousand years it had served as little more than a broken reminder of a darker time. Now, it was a marker of peace, thanks in part to the Tree of Harmony nearby and Princess Twilight's efforts over the years to make the castle safe to move through. The hostile wildlife that called the forest home never moved into the perimeter and ponies that sought the old knowledge that lay within were free to do so at their leisure.

One of the lesser known reasons for this peace was the castle's occasional lone occupant. Her reason for spending long days there in place of her home was fairly straightforward. The surviving towers provided sight of almost the entire forest, making it easy to watch for anything out of the ordinary. In addition, the tomes within always seemed to contain some new concoction or recipe to experiment with and it was a natural landmark for lost ponies to head for. All very helpful points for a zebra who had grown from a misunderstood herbalist to the official protector of the forest.

Zecora smiled to herself as she sat on the edge of a blown out wall in one such tower, looking out over the western reaches of the Everfree. Once again, everything looked as it should. Leaving her with time to contemplate her path and work on her protective measures. Although she hadn't set hoof in Zebahi for many years, she had been able to acquire the recipe for magic-resistant wards used in her homeland through friendly traders from Wahje, the border town between Equestria, Zebahi and Saddle Arabia. They weren't much, but they could help if she ran into trouble from Tantabus. The ingredients needed had proven to be easily found in the forest and her quiet periods in the castle had allowed her to create them over the past few days. If the crisis came her way, she was as ready for it as she would ever be.

Dipping a hoof into a diluted blend of crushed poison joke leaves and heart's desire nectar, she hummed to herself as she applied the mix to a staff laid in front of her. Roughly four feet long and made of firm sycamore wood, it typically served to protect her if any of the local creatures got too close. Living within the forest had taught her exactly how to fight and survive the right way. If the worst came to be though, it would now give her a chance. Her hoof elegantly stroked across the wood, tracing over the faded symbols that marked the previous wards she had placed upon it. Each one glowed briefly as she finished with it before fading again, adding the strength of its enchantment to those already applied. After several minutes she had applied an even spread around the staff, wiping her hoof of on a rock as she studied her work.

"Body, mind and tool are prepared," She said as she lifted the staff in her hooves, satisfied that each symbol was accurate. "If Tantabus comes now, I may yet be spared."

A small part of her was glad that she hadn't been part of everything that had been going on. Unlike most zebra, she was regularly aware of her fear of death, and the jungles of Zebahi could be more dangerous than anywhere in Equestria. She wouldn't have survived this long back home. She would fight if she had to, but in truth she was scared of doing so. As she stood up and slid the staff through a pair of loops on the side of her robe, the ground shook slightly and a blast rang through the air. The unmistakeable sound of a magic-based detonation. Zecora froze and looked back out of the gap, looking for anything that might have caused it. Although there was nothing living in sight, thick trails of smoke were starting to rise into the sky, roughly a kilometre to the south and growing thicker by the second.

Nothing that lived within the Everfree was capable of causing that, and there was only one magic user that would willingly wander in to do such a thing. Zecora quickly exhaled through her nose as she pulled the hood of her robe over her head and headed for the stairs as quickly as she could.

"There is no rhyme that will help this time. I shall face my duty, no matter what." She told herself as she broke into a run. Realising that that final rhyme had been unintentional brought a small smile to her face, one that quickly faded as she focused her mind on what lay ahead. She had faced almost every dangerous creature in Equestria while living in these woods, yet this was the only one that put pure fear into her heart. There was a good chance she wouldn't be coming back to collect her ingredients later.

She never wavered though. She had originally come to this land to find new ways to help others and spread the legacy of her homeland. One way or another, she would be doing both soon.

Tantabus grinned as she rapidly fired her magic upwards, scattering the fools that had wandered over the forest and sending them fleeing with their tails between their legs. They were lucky that they were probably the only defects in the universe that she didn't want to kill at this moment. Somepony had to go back and let the imposter know what her defiance had wrought. It had been her trooper, the orange flier, that had injured her enough to momentarily loose control and then escaped with the other prisoner. It was a wake-up call, an indicator that she had been taking it easy on then for far too long. A demonstration was needed now, a warning of what further resistance would result in.

The razing of their precious 'Ponyville' and everything in a five mile radius would do nicely.

Despite her satisfaction at the carnage, she gagged slightly at the smoke filling the air in front of her and stepped backward. The forest had been her starting point because, from what Sunset's memories showed, it was the most dangerous patch of land left in the area. It was also the most unlike home, a far cry from the rocky grasslands of Viam Dei. The fires started were already starting to spread quickly, engulfing everything in their path. Her magic had lit the spark, now she could simply leave this area to burn while she moved onto the next. It wouldn't be long before the entire forest looked like the hell she was enduring while stuck in this body.

As Tantabus stepped back further, her ears twitched. Even if the steadily increasing roar of flames was filling her ears, they were still sharp enough to pick out something rustling in the scrub behind her. It wasn't quick enough to be caused by a fleeing animal, it had been slow and determined. Almost as if something was trying to sneak up on her. She rolled her eyes and fired a bolt of magic at the bushes, punching clean through the leaves and wood, leaving a smouldering hole. There wasn't any sign of something on the ground behind it though. Either her ears were playing tricks on her, or she'd missed. The latter become more likely in her mind as there was a similar rustle in the trees to her right, enough cover between her and there for anypony to move unseen. She swung round and fired again, cutting through the low branches with a sweeping beam.

It was only as she started to finish the attack that she realised the sound of her own magic on top of the fires was drowning everything else out. Which meant that if she'd been fooled again, she was deaf to any trouble behind her. Normally she wouldn't even have entertained such an idea, but after how the past weeks had gone...The thought was stopped in its tracks as something thin and hard smacked into her back legs, knocking them out from under her. Tantabus gasped as her world went sideways before her horn glowed brighter, teleporting her several feet forward and up. Enough for her to come down on her hooves and swing round to face the aggressor, her back now to the flames. It was, something. Covered almost entirely in a light brown robe, what was visible was black, white and while it had a similar body to a defect, it was unlike any she had ever seen before.

"What...?" Tantabus half asked, half growled, trying to regain her composure. The figure remained silent, piercing cyan eyes staring her down. It didn't answer, largely due to the staff held in its mouth.

Whatever it was, it still didn't look like a magic user. Which meant it could be made to suffer for making her look like a fool, and all the easier too. Tantabus curled her lip into a cold smirk before firing a rapid burst of magic, the lethal shot headed for the interloper. They quickly tilted their head right, raised their front left hoof up and loosened the grip on the staff in response. It was enough for the magic attack to clip the staff, blocking what would have been a direct hit to the neck. Instead of being burned through or shattered by the magic though, the staff flashed green for a split second and reflected the bolt into the ground, kicking up dirt as the magic burned down several feet. The force of the hit pushed the staff back, against their left side just as the hoof came down. In a second they had gone into a combat posture, holding the staff ready to counter any follow-up.

"You, who would dare deface my home!" The stranger declared angrily. A mare, even through the ridiculous accent. "Innocent lives destroyed, thousands of spirits erased, for what?!"

Tantabus stared at her, jaw hanging slightly, a dumbfounded look on her face. Was this weirdo insane? Considering that they seemed to have swapped coherent speech for combat ability, it actually sounded less likely than she thought. She fired another two shots of magic to gauge the reaction, aiming one just above the stranger's head followed by one at her left side. They ducked their head down to evade the first attack and bit into the staff again, swinging it forward at the second one. It connected enough to sent the cyan bolt straight back at Tantabus, forcing her to put a shield up to absorb it.

"I can tell you are unaware of the Zebra, Tantabus," The stranger continued, shifting the end of her staff into a holder on her robe as she advanced. "My name is Zecora, and I will be the one that shows you the strength of our spirit."

Tantabus took a moment to process this information. Zebra...They must have been from a region that alicorn explorers never reached. Probably somewhere to the south. Nowadays though, they were just another target once the land was hers again. That would have to wait however. The 'zebra' had made it clear she was ready to fight and even if it wasn't going to be as easy as she'd hoped, a duel like this was exactly what she needed to unwind. So her opponent had some tricks that meant she could counter magic, they would burn out eventually. Everything that thought it could fight an alicorn did. There was also the matter of priority, she would effectively be getting a workout while her opponent would be fighting for her life from the start. If things got too serious...Well there was nothing stopping her from torching the area and finishing it instantly.

With that settled, Tantabus lowered her horn and fired a beam, sweeping it across where her foe's hooves rested. Easy to dodge, but just as easy to gauge how she moved and if she could be put off-balance. Zecora actually charged in time with the attack, using the momentum of pushing herself off to leap over the beam. Tantabus backed up quickly in response, firing smaller, faster blasts of magic on each step. The zebra, as anticipated, was forced to halt her advance and go on the defensive, whipping the staff out again and positioning it to catch three of the attacks at once. The rest passed harmlessly by, each starting tiny fires of their own upon impact with the trees. Again and again she fired, more and more bolts being evaded, blocked, or outright reflected skyward with small yet swift movements of the staff. Much as she loathed to even think it, the dexterity required for such pinpoint manoeuvres was impressive.

Zecora gritted her teeth and pushed left as soon as an opening appeared, moving toward a fallen tree propped up by its brethren. Tantabus twisted her head and fired another beam in an attempt to contain her movements. The zebra's agility caught her out though and she only succeeded in singing her tail. Before she could line up another, Zecora leapt onto the tree, tilting her head to adjust her hold on the staff. In one fluid motion she jumped up further, disappearing into the lowest reaches of the forest canopy. Tantabus bit back a curse and dropped into a more defensive posture, scanning the treetops for any movement. Even though the main fire would prevent her from being flanked this time, it also meant her vision was increasingly impeded by smoke. She couldn't fire recklessly this time either, not without risking leaving herself deaf to hostile movement again.

For a long minute she remained rooted in place, briefly casting a shield around herself to dissipate the nearest smoke before dropping it and scanning the trees further. There were no signs of life before her and the fire was quickly advancing behind her, getting uncomfortably hot at this point. Dealing with the heat was more her passive sister's domain.

Tantabus slowly moved forward, bringing herself out of the danger zone yet never dropping her guard for an attosecond. At roughly a hundred feet away she heard a rustle from the canopy above her and teleported out of the way, firing a pinpoint back at the air above where she had been the moment she reappeared. The magic struck true, punching clean through the empty robe that was fluttering to the ground. Another decoy. This Zecora was a lot more tactical than she'd given credit for. Tantabus spun round to try and intercept any follow up attack, only to be rewarded with lighting pain as Zecora's staff smashed against her left shoulder, Zecora herself half-tackling the unicorn as she dropped from the trees. The hit left them both sprawling on the ground, struggling to right themselves and regain their composure.

Zecora was on her hooves first, rushing Tantabus as she lay on her back, nursing her shoulder and wiping sweat out of her eyes. It was heavily bruised at best, but it didn't seem broken. That allowed her to shift her focus and see the incoming zebra. A bold move, but unfortunately for her, it was too similar to the one Starlight Glimmer had attempted at the vault. Tantabus waited until Zecora was on top of her before bringing her back hooves up in a firm buck, using the momentum to launch her foe off her in one fluid movement. As her back legs reached the peak of their movement she gripped herself in her magic and pushed the move further, letting her backflip straight onto her hooves. A loud thud as she spun round confirmed that the zebra had hit a tree after being thrown off. Hopefully that would put them on more equal footing, as her shoulder was definitely going to be a handicap if targeted further.

As Tantabus took stock of the current situation, she realised that the staff had fallen out of Zecora's hold during that last attack. She gripped it in her magic and tried to yank it over, only for the aura around it to falter and splutter. She only managed to lift it a few feet before it slipped out of her grasp. Whatever magic resistance the zebra had managed to use, it was disturbingly effective for a simpleton's creation. Before she could strategize further, Zecora was advancing again, face contorted with pain but not slowing down at all. Both were walking wounded, but she still had magic on her side. It was time to make proper use of it.

As Zecora grabbed her staff mid-run, Tantabus took her bad shoulder in her magic. Keeping it still would limit the pain and let her keep her full attention on the battle. However it also meant she was forced back onto the defensive, as a barrage of staff swings came at her from beyond hoof range. She was forced to give ground as she parried and blocked blow after blow, dodging those she could and firing near point-blank blasts of magic whenever an opening presented itself. Such attacks were still deflected away, though they were too close to properly redirect and none came back at the unicorn. Such deflections were also getting fewer and further between as Zecora shifted to more evasive action. Was the staff somehow damaged, or its magic resilience being drained or overwhelmed? Either presented an opening, if she could apply the right pressure.

Tantabus teleported back a few feet, out of the trees and into a small clearing. Her next burst of magic was fired low in an attempt to get her opponent to jump into an easy follow-up attack. Zecora instead gripped her staff under her front right leg and dug the other end into the ground. The move vaulted her into the air, shifting her grip to balance on the exposed end with a single hoof right as the blast hit the ground. The force was too much for the staff and it finally shattered into burning splinters as she was launched upward by the blast, mane billowing behind her as she flipped over to continue the assault. In spite of being in heated combat in the middle of a burning forest, Tantabus couldn't help but be impressed by the ingenuity of the move. Even for a wastrel like this, that had to take some serious training. Even she couldn't do that. She had better skills though, and this was starting to get tiresome.

She took hold of her whole body in her magic and rapidly levitated upward to met the attack. At the last moment she swung herself round with her magic, bringing her hind left leg out in a spin kick. The move struck home, connecting firmly with Zecora's left side and wrapping her torso around the leg. Tantabus smirked at the feeling, only for the smile to fade as she realised the zebra had firmly gripped onto her leg in the process. Her self-levitation was only good for manoeuvring, it was useless against outside influence. Before she could counter, her world became a blur as Zecora used newfound grip and momentum to throw her away. Gravity kicked in far too quickly to react and she hit the ground hard on her back, knocking the air from her lungs and blurring her vision.

This situation kept taking the advantage away far quicker than she liked. It was time to stop fooling about.

Even with her body fighting the winding it had received, her mind remained composed enough to make up for it. Her horn flared with intense energy as her magic caught Zecora in its grasp. Without even thinking about it, she tossed her back into the forest at breakneck speed, hardly hearing the crashing and cries that resulted. A minor victory like that wasn't enough for Tantabus, not at this point. As soon as her body had recovered properly she teleported above the forest and levitated herself again. She wasn't even sure if it was the same area she'd been fighting in, but the end result would probably be the same. She gathered what resolve she could without air in her lungs and let her magic gather for several seconds before firing straight downwards.

As the patch of forest below her erupted into a small shockwave of fire, she remained in place. The sight brought some satisfaction to her weary body, considering what it would mean. Even if her aim was off and she hadn't killed the zebra outright, the damage done to the forest would require a supreme effort by the defects to contain. Draining a lot of time and resources while she attacked elsewhere in the area. Her magic reserves hadn't been too badly affected either, thanks to her body's natural talent and her ability to use it efficiently. Physically though, she'd underestimated just what her opponent had been capable of. Any inevitable retaliation would require her to fight at a distance. Speaking of which...

Tantabus' ears twitched as she picked up something new. She could normally sense powerful sources of magic at a distance, to the point that she knew where both Vaeac and the Tomb of the Gods were at all times. This was unlike anything she had ever felt before though. A raging nexus of light and shadow. Inherent power and lekli strength that combined in this form, was easily powerful enough to overcome many natural born alicorns. It would certainly prove a tough challenge in her current state. She turned her head slowly, panting as she looked to the north.

Whatever it was, it was headed straight for her.

"Oh, great..." She muttered sarcastically to herself, looking round for somewhere safe to set down. A field near the edge of the forest was the closest option and she teleported to the ground there, breathing in the clearer air. There were still a few minutes until whatever it was arrived and as much as she hated to admit it, she knew she'd need every second to prepare herself.

Chapter 29 - Shattered Harmony

As she teleported herself back to ground level, Tantabus took stock of her current situation. She was winded, her legs and shoulder still felt numb from all the staff hits and while her magic was still strong, there was already a noticeable drain on it. Her incoming opponent was very likely fresh, knew exactly where she was, and much as she hated to admit it, stronger than her right now. A strategy erring on the side of caution and defence wasn't usually her style, but it was the only way she was going to win the inevitable showdown. A small part of her reflected that she'd been forced to do that a lot since taking this body, coming down to the defects level. The sooner this was over, the better.

The world reappeared around her and she looked round quickly, reaffirming she was out of the forest. If she'd tried to fight there then her foe would likely have blown it up too, and she would have a harder time seeing it coming. She'd chosen an abandoned farm on the outskirts of Ponyville to make her stand, a piece of nowhere that only stuck in her mind for the squad of soldiers she'd torn up en route to the attack on the town. Memories of that night were comforting when the weight of her failures pressed upon her. There were bigger issues to deal with at present though. Like exactly how she was going to come out of this engagement victorious, or at least in one piece.

For several minutes she simply rested among the quaint farm buildings, getting air back into her lungs and gently using her magic to massage her aching muscles. All the while her mind was racing, dredging her memories for spells that would give her an advantage. Magic absorption combined with precision shield usage would be risky with such a strong opponent, always a chance of it becoming overcharged, but not impossible. Attempting to constantly control the flow of battle would take too much energy, meaning any teleportation or levitation would have to be reactionary. Stunning spells or anything to disorient would probably work best, low magic drain and anything that left them unable to focus would be critical. Unfortunately, there wouldn't be time to formulate a proper plan. She could sense that whatever it was, it was only moments away.

Tantabus gritted her teeth and got back onto her hooves, steeling herself for what was to come. As she stepped away from the buildings she saw a strong glow of magic in the sky to the north. Her incoming enemy. She'd expected to see a purple aura from their levitation, or a yellow one, or even blue at a stretch. It was red. Even as she watched, it glowed brighter and dropped toward the ground, kicking up clumps of dirt as it skidded to a halt roughly a hundred feet away. As the dust cleared and magic faded she dropped into a fighting stance, a sudden sinking feeling in her heart. Sure enough, an all too familiar figure was facing her. Cold determination in her eyes and an amulet resting against her chest. Steel clasps leading to the silhouette of a gray, red and black alicorn, atop a grey shield with a blood red gem at its center.

She recognised it instantly, and that her odds of survival had dropped even further.

"Twilight Sparkle," Tantabus called, digging her hooves into the ground slightly. A small part of her was amazed that her voice gave away none of her concerns. "Has desperation driven you so far as to use our gifts after all?"

"I'm doing whatever I must to stop you." Twilight called back. As anticipated, her violet eyes glowed the same red that was on the amulet at those last two words.

"That's all? Just, dealing with me?" Tantabus countered. The defects only saw the Alicorn Amulet as a corrupting influence. But she knew that was far more than that. The lekli of whoever wore it would steadily gain more control while their magical strength was amplified by the magic of the amulet. If Twilight dragged the fight out long enough, there would likely be nothing in the world that could stand against her.

"I..." Twilight glanced back at herself, doubt flickering across her features briefly. Then she looked forward again and her horn flared to life. It's aura remained pure red, as did the one surrounding the amulet that helped dictate her actions now. "I will do what I must to keep Equestria safe. Starting with tearing down everything you held dear. By sundown you and your world will have been ripped a-fucking-sunder!"

The glow had returned on those last few words, intensifying to the point that her eyes momentarily went pure red. No sooner had she finished speaking than she teleported away. Tantabus' reflexes went on full alert, bracing for the exact moment she heard or saw her opponent reappear. It was then that she realised what she needed to do if she wished to have any hope in this fight. Keep any engagement at close range and force Twilight to limit her magic usage until she could find a way to either disable the imposter alicorn or the amulet itself. The irony was not lost on her. Then her ears picked up magic behind her and she ducked near-instantly. A beam of red pierced the air where her head had been moments before and she swung round to see another coming straight for her.

'Stick to the plan. Quick and efficient.' She mentally told herself before jumping over the attack, briefly using her magic to hover long enough to be sure. Twilight was roughly twenty-five feet behind her now, still firing rapid bolts of magic in a furious barrage. It would be difficult, but it was still close enough to work with. Tantabus dropped back to the ground and threw up her shield, advancing as each of Twilight's attacks were absorbed or reflected. Before she could follow up with a counter-charge, her body froze in the grip of dark magic. Next thing she knew she was hurtling skyward, hundreds of feet up by the time she'd realised it. She was barely able to look back toward the ground in time to see even more magic being fired at her, bringing up another shield in front of her. The force of the glancing blow knocked her backward, forcing her to adjust her angle to block the follow up strike coming from behind her.

It was true that no plan survived contact with the enemy, but any plan currently depended on her having enough time to breathe and think. As it was, she was effectively reduced to a pinball, ricocheting through the sky as she barely blocked attack after attack. Twilight's assault was beyond relentless, teleporting into position for her next strike before the previous one had even landed. As she was blasted back toward the ground for what felt like the thirtieth time, Tantabus glanced back to see Twilight reappearing behind her. The fact she had enough time to do so meant she had enough time to get herself back into the fight. As the next beam came at her she strengthened her shield and rapidly added another spark of magic to it. This would either even the scales or end up being her do-or-die moment.

Twilight's beam hit the shield with enough force to halt Tantabus' fall, sparks of red flaring off in every direction. As much as her horn stung from keeping her magic going, Tantabus could feel it also getting stronger. Her strategy had worked. Even though she was still on the back hoof physically, the gap had been noticeably narrowed between them in terms of magical capability. After a few seconds of absorbing magic through the shield she teleported back to the ground. The rush that came from having such strength again sent an involuntary shudder of euphoria through her, confidence that she was able to stand her ground this time.

"Clever," Twilight said as she teleported down in front of her. There was the faintest hint of respect in the alicorn's voice, mixed with a lot of contempt. "I'm actually glad you did that. I was hoping for a chance to make you suffer before I crushed you."

"Me too..." Tantabus replied, gritting her teeth as she charged first.

"Are you sure that you saw something out there?" Fluttershy called as she ran after Peace Walker.

"I'm a scout, spotting the unusual is my thing," Peace called back, leading them toward the eastern edge of Ponyville. "There were a lot of unusual lights in the sky over this way. Some of them were the same colour as the beam that blew up Twilight's castle, so I'm pretty damn sure it's Tantabus."

"Do you think it has something to do with the fires?" Fluttershy asked as she moved alongside Peace, keeping pace much better when flying rather than running.

"Most likely. That makes it all the more important that we figure out what's happening and how to stop it before the whole Everfree burns down. Or worse!"

Fluttershy nodded, silently trying to convince herself that what she feared was happening was just a nagging fear in her head. Everything had escalated so fast. No sooner had Aurora returned the two of them to the castle than he had left again to gather the others from Canterlot. Almost immediately after, a group of pegasi from the weather team had arrived at the castle to report the Everfree fires and she had been forced to direct them toward Spike, wherever he was in Ponyville at the moment. And THEN Peace had rushed past her to go investigate what she had seen. It was a small mercy that her family was safe in Cloudsdale at the moment, because things here were rapidly spiralling out of control. Again.

Within minutes the two of them reached the edge of town and paused as they looked out onto the farmlands. Even from here they could make out the flashes of light from constant clashes of magic beyond the distant buildings. Teal and red sparks streaked skyward before falling rapidly, barely audible yet powerful enough to make the ground shake slightly on each impact. As they took in what was unfolding, a glow of teal shot skyward, followed by a red one. They smashed against each other several times before plummeting back to earth, neither seeming to have the upper hoof. Peace stood rooted in place, seemingly struggling to understand what she was seeing. For Fluttershy though, it only confirmed that gnawing doubt in her heart.

"Oh dear..." She said quietly, ears folding back. As she glanced over at Peace she realised that the earth mare was shaking slightly. It wasn't fear though, not with the faint grin at the edge of her lips. It was adrenaline, stemming from anticipation.

"Dear nothing. Whoever that is, they're kicking her flank!" Peace commented, her smile widening as she looked back at Fluttershy. "So, what's the plan?"

Fluttershy blinked as she realised that she was going to have to make the decision in this situation. Before them were two powerful magic users, strong enough to flatten them both even before the boosts they had. All she had to approach that at the moment was the Element of Kindness and a mare who likely wasn't thinking straight. There was no 'plan' that she could let happen as it was, not with so much at stake. The best she could do was keep everypony else out of danger and ensure Twilight didn't end up doing something they would all regret. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how to say it, only to keep coming back to the same solution: Be like Rainbow Dash, authoritative and leading.

"Go find Spike," She told Peace, doing her best to put on a confident tone. "Send him this way and find as many of the others as you can."

"What?" Peace's face dropped as she looked from Fluttershy to the ongoing battle and back again. "What about you?"

"Twilight is out there, using the same amulet that the others fought so hard to keep out of Tantabus' grasp. She's desperate to win, but I don't know if she can control what'll happen when she does. Somepony needs to make sure she doesn't kill Sunset Shimmer or anything more extreme until everypony else gets here, and out of the two of us..."

"Right. Right..." Peace looked down, trying and failing to keep the disappointment out of her voice. As the ground shook again from another clash in the distance she nodded and looked up again, the look on her face distant but determined. "You can count on me. Just be careful...We've all suffered enough at this point."

Peace turned and ran back toward Ponyville at full speed, leaving Fluttershy to prepare herself alone. She normally wasn't the first to put herself in danger based on a what-if, but she would do it without hesitation to ensure a friend's safety. She took off and headed toward the battlefield, flying low to the ground. If she could reach the farmhouses then she should be close enough to intervene if needed, yet far away enough to keep her safe from the crossfire. Hopefully the others would arrive quickly and they could defuse the situation together. At least, assuming Twilight won her duel with Tantabus...

Before long she had reached the deserted farmhouses. There was nothing left here, no signs of life beyond broken fragments of armour, holes and streaks of land gouged away by magic strikes. Fluttershy landed and ducked behind the main farmhouse to get her bearings. The fighting didn't sound like it was coming to an end anytime soon. If anything, it seemed to be only getting worse. She slowly poked her head out from around the building and squinted, seeing little but feeling everything. The ground shuddered like a magnitude five earthquake from another nearby impact, forcing her to hold onto the building to keep her balance. At this distance she could almost make out the duelling ponies, their magic clashing at point blank range and their hooves attempting to strike when any opportunity presented itself.

As the battle momentarily moved back into the air, Fluttershy moved at a quick flap toward a barn. It offered a better view without sacrificing cover. Stray fire made her flinch as a red beam impacted a nearby rock formation, obliterating it and launching rubble like bullets in every direction. The next thing she knew, something speared into the side of her neck and she lost consciousness.

This was just too easy.

Twilight laughed as she launched herself skyward in pursuit of a retreating Tantabus, taking delight in the look of panic on her foe's face. Of course, she wasn't really Twilight right now. She didn't really have a name yet. The 'other' Twilight had never even known she'd existed and she'd been too busy flexing her magic to think of one. There would be plenty of time later, once she'd destroyed this petulant upstart and claimed her rightful place within this world. Beams of magic streaked past her as she closed the gap, attacking rapidly enough to drive Tantabus into her follow up strike. Although most of the blood red beam ended up missing, the glancing blow was enough to make the unicorn cry out as her flank was burned.

"Oh this is fun!" She called as Tantabus teleported back to a safe distance. "This must be what it felt like to be Garukan, strong enough to rip the world apart if I fancied. What'd you think I could do to you?"

"I've said it all before," Tantabus called back as she fired back, using the time Twilight was shielding herself from it to teleport in close and land a punch against her cheek. "You can't get cocky until you've won."

Twilight growled as she pulled upward, rubbing her cheek and looking for any weakness that could be used to overwhelm her foe. As she did, she noticed something on the ground below. Something that made her whole body freeze involuntarily. A trail of blood against one of the buildings, leading to a yellow body slumped against a wall. The sight should have meant nothing to her, yet emotions that were not her own were surging up out of nowhere. Fear, shock, care for somepony else. Or, was it Other Twilight having such an emotional moment it was overwhelming? She certainly wouldn't have done that. That said, she didn't seem to have any control of herself at the moment.

"FLUTTERSHY!!" She screamed, raw pain in her voice. Apparently that was as genuine as it got, as even Tantabus stopped and looked toward the body in surprise.

Why was she looking like that? More to the point, how DARE she?! This had to be her fault. One of her moments of wild fire must have done the damage that killed the defect. She could feel Other Twilight's emotions growing stronger, the restraints she'd momentarily been placed in dissolving like sugar in water. Emotion was such a fickle thing though, so easy for a lekli to twist for whatever they needed. All that fear and resentment was filtering into her own anger, strengthening her magic so quickly it gave her an adrenaline rush. Her cry of distress shifted into a roar of fury as her magic charged up rapidly enough for the Alicorn Amulet to start glowing. It may have been the sensitivity of her ears, but she could have sworn she could hear her strength cracking the air around her.

Without thinking she placed a hoof against the magic around her horn as she teleported. She reappeared right in front of Tantabus and swung her hoof forward quickly. The lingering magic against the hoof burned at her fur slightly, only for the motion to launch it into the unicorn's face like ethereal fire. Even as Tantabus took the hit fully in the eyes, Twilight's hoof struck the side of her muzzle. The double strike sent Tantabus flailing backward, barely biting back a cry as she fought to recover. Twilight was upon her again immediately. Flying in at speed and alternating between blasts of magic and her own hoofs, driving the fight back toward Ponyville and leaving blasted land from stray magic in her wake.

She was operating on instinct at this point, utilising everything that Other Twilight had learned on top of her raw emotion. Her anger fuelled her magic, which was being outpoured onto Tantabus, who's refusal to admit her failing and die only made her angrier. The loop was steadily building both her power and her frustration, to the point where burning everything in sight was feeling very tempting. Or even cutting out every last bit of restraint she had left and just dropping the moon on Tantabus, it wasn't like she or Nezzari would need it after this. If need be, she could just suck up the atmosphere and find a new planet to claim as her own. Most would consider that ludicrous, but she was a lekli. Anything was possible with enough power.

As the battle moved into the smoke clouds drifting away from the Everfree, Twilight cast a shield around her head to keep the smoke away. Tantabus had done the same while she had the chance, the glow giving her position away through the black fog. Offensive magic wasn't going to an option for now. Not unless either of them felt like firing into their shield and potentially blowing their own heads off. No matter, there was nothing wrong with getting her hooves bloody. Other Twilight wasted so much time trying to find ways around doing that, but this was so much easier. And cathartic. The two of them closed again and swung their hooves against the other, aiming to finish the other at close range.

Annoyingly, Tantabus seemed to be a lot more confident when only using her magic for defence and levitation. She kept weaving and twisting through the sky, pushing herself through tough g-forces to launch quick but solid strikes to her opponent's body. Twilight focused on counter-blows as a result, attempting to deflect each attack in a way that left Tantabus open to another hit. As it was though, each exchange of attacks only saw each of them scoring glancing blows at best and their magic reserves could last for days like this.

Impasse, which could go on forever if they only had the patience to do so.

After years of being so supressed she couldn't even awaken, Twilight was not in the mood for patience.

She snarled and spun herself round in time with the next incoming kick, straightening herself out vertically as she did. As Tantabus' hind leg just missed her body she clamped her own leg down against it and engulfed the trapped section in her magic. The teal glow flickered before shifting to red, a sign that the fight was over.

She could feel the wind movement behind her indicating that Tantabus was aiming to strike at the base of her neck. An opening she wouldn't have time to exploit. With a simple mental twist, Twilight yanked the leg she was holding toward her. The sideways pull snapped the bone almost effortlessly, making Tantabus howl in pain, momentarily going limp. This fight was over, now it was time to make sure there wouldn't be a repeat performance. She could practically hear Other Twilight protesting it inside her head, but they were both aiming for the same thing. Hers was just a more...Direct, and permanent, solution.

She bucked her back hooves out, catching Tantabus square in the side. The blow stunned the unicorn momentarily, enough for her magic to falter and send her dropping toward the ground. Twilight flipped over backward and dropping her shield to fire, reaching deep into her reserves and pouring it into her magic. The red beam struck Tantabus square in the stomach and blasted her downward like a missile. Twilight ramped up the attack until she felt her foe hit the ground and dived after her, dodging shards of earth, metal, wood, fire and magic as she did. Whatever her magic had hit on the ground must have been utterly obliterated. Sure enough, as she passed through the smoke layer she could see the scattered remains of whatever buildings had been below strewn across the outskirts of southern Ponyville. Trees and bushes lay along the edges of the impact crater, as either smouldering husks or outright reduced to ash.

"Is that it?!" Twilight called as she dropped into a hover over the center of the crater where Tantabus was lying, writhing in pain. From here she could see that it had been her hind left leg that had been broken. In addition, almost her entire underside had been scored with second-degree burns and her eyes were clenched shut after the hit they had taken earlier. It was clear she was in no shape to keep fighting.

'That's enough! You'll kill her if you keep this up!!'

"Shut up, Other Twilight!" Twilight snapped as she landed in front of Tantabus. For a few moments she simply stared down at her stricken foe, watching her heavily pant for air. To see a lekli that had been giving this world so much trouble reduced to this, it was almost enough to make her consider mercy. Then her lip curled in disgust and she reared up. Her front hooves held in place for the briefest of moments before she slammed them down on the broken leg.

"Fuurraaaaggh!!!" Tantabus yelled in distress, actually sounding like she was about to cry. Any further response was cut off as Twilight kicked her in the gut, then again in the neck.

"See where your resistance has got you?" Twilight growled as she kept striking her helpless adversary, leaning in and placing a hoof against Tantabus' neck properly even as she stomped the broken leg again. Her nose practically touched the unicorn's as she took in her victory, staring into those unfocused, choking eyes. "I'd ask if you had anything to say, but your-"

As she started to finish the sentence, Tantabus' eyes started dilating rapidly. Within two seconds they had shifted from their sleek and cold look to more natural pony eyes. Twilight stared in confusion for the briefest of moments before she saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Before she could react, a hoof wrapped around her horn, disrupting her magic and yanking her head to the side. Another gripped her front leg to keep her from pulling away. Tantabus's focus suddenly returned and despite the hoof to her neck, twisted her head round until the tip of her horn was pressed against the Alicorn Amulet. Twilight struggled to regain any purchase when she head a different voice coming from the unicorn's mouth.

"She warned you..." Sunset Shimmer said through gritted teeth.

Her words may only have hung for the briefest of moments, but it was enough for Twilight to realise. Her glance downwards confirmed it. The cracking she'd heard before had been from the gemstone embedded in the Alicorn Amulet. Even if it had been designed to boost a lekli's strength, it clearly hadn't been built to handle one as naturally strong as her.

Then her world went white as Sunset fired, every ounce of magic she had left being directed at the damaged amulet. Her veins felt like they were filled with liquid fire as all the energy she'd been drawing on was ripped away. Her chest went completely numb as the repeated assault vibrated intensely against her. She couldn't even gather the composure necessary to make her vocal cords work. Then as soon as it had begun, she felt a sudden force blasting her backward as her entire existence fell back into shadow.

Chapter 30 - The Fragments

Canterlot
Five minutes earlier

Was it too much to ask to fix a problem in this world and expect it to stay fixed?

Why couldn't things just be like they used to?

It had all been so simple back in the old days. Tearing through the skies with her team, going on wild adventures with her friends, Spending the precious times with her family. Just enjoying herself and all Equestria had to offer. When had she decided to settle for letting others dictate how she led her life?

Well...That was something of a moot point now. That decision had been made the moment she learned she was flightless. Making a new life for herself was the only way forward.

Rainbow Dash sighed quietly to herself as she gazed out over Canterlot. The views from her ward generally didn't offer much beyond slightly unflattering angles of the city, but the one to the south-west was quite soothing. Clear skies flowing eternally over the woodland and hills that made up one of Equestria's less inhabited, more serene regions. That was why she couldn't take her eyes off it. It was like those happy memories, something she could cling to for comfort right now. If she looked elsewhere from this view, it would only be toward Ponyville. A broken echo of everything it had stood for mere days before. While the parallel wasn't exact, there wasn't much distinction in her mind at the moment. What was next for the town when its position as a beacon of peace and harmony had been torn apart?

Even when she knew she had to keep moving, what was she supposed to do next when everything that made her who she was had been taken away?

"Sis...You okay?"

'Well, almost everything.' Rainbow thought to herself as she looked to her side. Scootaloo was sat next to her, looking at her surrogate sister with a look of concern. Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel her fears melt away as the need to provide sisterly support flared up strongly inside her.

"I'm okay-ish. Just got a lot on my mind at the moment." She replied, wrapping an arm around Scootaloo's shoulders. It took a lot of restraint not to think about how much more comforting a wing was for this.

"I know that feeling," Scootaloo replied, making a small show of solidarity by doing the same with her hoof rather than using her wing. "It may not be as bad for me but, we've both taken a major blow after that disaster in the Badlands."

Rainbow didn't know how to answer that. Scootaloo hadn't really opened up about how her injuries were affecting her yet. This was actually the most coherent she had been in the last few days, but there was no denying the issues she was facing were similarly career-ending. It was likely that she would have to keep wearing her eyepatch for the rest of her life and barring a serious medical breakthrough, her eye wouldn't get any better either. An important part of any stunt work came from being rapidly able to interpret and react to what was laid out ahead. As impaired as her vision currently was was...

Suddenly, her father's old motivational question from her fillyhood came to the fore of her mind. One of the most important things in both their lives had been seemingly lost for good. Where to from there? As much as she thought about it though, there just didn't seem to be an answer.

"We have, but we'll work through it. We always do." She eventually said, doing her best to sound confident. Scootaloo looked at her silently before sighing and lifting her eyepatch up, squinting as she brought both eyes to focus on Rainbow.

"You don't have to act strong for me." She replied quietly. Although she didn't mean it, the look she was giving came across as so disapproving that's Rainbow's already shaky defences wilted quickly. Suddenly she felt very small and lost. Like a newborn foal that hadn't yet established where its mother was.

"I...I guess I always just believed we'd keep making it through unscathed," Rainbow admitted, resting her front hooves on the windowsill. She couldn't bring herself to look Scootaloo in the eyes at this point. "Even after what happened at Mount Silvat, there was something that kept telling me I'd be fine. I don't know if it was cockiness, past experience, dumb luck or what. Now though...I still try to flap on instinct, you know?"

"I know. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to look around behind the patch," Scootaloo said as she lowered the patch back into place. "When all this is over, I think we both need to find a large, secluded cloud, and have a long talk about what we're going to do next."

"You'd have to carry me up there."

"And you know I would..." Scootaloo looked as though she were going to continue, only to pause as she looked at something beyond the window. The mix of surprise and confusion on her face was enough to make Rainbow turn to look as well.

She could instantly see what had drawn her sister's attention. Several clouds that had been covering the view to the south-east were no longer thick enough to hide the sight of thick smoke hanging over Ponyville and the Everfree forest. Although the smoke itself seemed to be coming from the Everfree, the sight made her heart sink. While it could have had any number of causes, only one was likely at the moment. As much as she hated to admit it though, neither of them were exactly fit to try and help at the moment though, and something told her the doctors would probably be very unhappy at Twilight tripling the number of ponies she'd taken over monitoring for them.

The best they could do was see if Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were still in the hospital. They might not have seen what was happening and would be in a better position to provide some kind of support. As she glanced back at Scootaloo and then to the ward door, she could tell she seemed to have come to the same conclusion. The two of them got up and started to make their way out, silently thankful that this had happened just as visiting hours were finishing and they were still free to move about. No sooner had they left, the sound of galloping hooves caught their attention and they turned to see Apple Bloom and Aurora rushing down the corridor toward them.

"Lucky timing," Aurora panted as he skidded to a halt in front of them. "Is Sweetie Belle with you?"

"Afraid not. We haven't seen her since we met in the hallways earlier." Rainbow explained quickly.

"Darnit. Ah hope she's alright." Apple Bloom quietly commented through gritted teeth.

"We saw what was happening in the forest," Scootaloo continued, lowering her voice slightly. "You think it's her?"

"I know it's her," Aurora told them. "Twilight's gone ahead and she's doing what she can, but we should be ready to back her up."

Rainbow hesitated slightly at that, caught between her need to recover and her loyalty to her friends. She also had her desire to keep Scootaloo safe as well, on top of her already conflicted thoughts on just what she could do without her wings. It must have shown on her face as Aurora looked slightly troubled as well. The moment hung between the four of them for a moment as they silently struggled with what to do next. Apple Bloom was the one to break the tension, stepping forward and placing a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.

"I've seen that look in yer eyes more times than ah can count," She told them, shooting a knowing glance over at Scootaloo. "You two stay here. If nothing else, we can't take the risk of everypony gettin' killed out there."

"Right...Thanks, we'll do that. If Sweetie Belle shows up, we'll tell her what's happening as well."

As Bloom nodded and stepped back beside Aurora, Rainbow sighed slightly to herself. Her feelings must have been a bit too obvious, wanting to keep fighting when she clearly wasn't in any condition to do so. Now that she was thinking it about it the realisation hit her with full force, breaking against what was left of her will. Suddenly it took all she had just to smile and silently offer good luck as the two before her teleported away. There wasn't much she could focus on other than her thoughts, so she went for the most prominent alternative in her mind and looked over at Scootaloo.

"What did she mean with that look?"

"I ah, was still crashing my scooter a lot when we first became friends," Scootaloo replied nonchalantly, before pausing and looking back toward the window they had been sitting at. "Do...You think Zecora's okay?"

"I hope so..." Rainbow replied quietly, fighting back a sudden urge to throw up.

Aurora looked around as he reappeared, satisfied he'd brought the two of them back to Ponyville safely. They were at the steps to Twilight's castle with a good view of what was going on. The fight between Twilight and Tantabus had moved to the south-west edge of Ponyville, the glow of their magic visible through the haze of smoke hanging over the town. One teal, one red. The sight was enough to send a sharp pang of terror through his body. Even though the Alicorn Amulet hadn't been used since before he was born, he'd read enough about it to know what this meant. Before he could wonder why Twilight would do such a thing, his focus was broken as Apple Bloom nudged him.

He looked back down to see a group of figures rushing down the street ahead of them with a pegasus flying just above, all headed toward the fighting. Even from this distance, he could make out the unmistakable figure of Spike among them. That was all Aurora needed to take off at a run, Bloom following right behind him. As they got closer they could see that the ponies with him were Applejack, Peace Walker and Deep Note, all keeping their eyes on the fighting. Even as he looked back at it the teal glow suddenly faltered before being hit by a blast of red magic, rocketing downward and smashing into the ground. The massive dust cloud that erupted from the landing site sent another jolt of fear through Aurora. That impact site was much too close to Ponyville. What had Tantabus hit?

"Spike!" He called as he caught up to the others, drawing their attention back to him. "What's been happening?"

"I don't know!" He shouted back, waiting for Aurora and Bloom to move up to the group before continuing. "I had gone up to Sweet Apple Acres for a breather, found AJ and Deep, then everything started kicking off. Where're the others?"

"Rainbow an' Scoots still aren't fit for something like this. We couldn't find Sweetie Belle anywhere," Bloom told him as she moved next to Applejack. "What about Fluttershy an' Trixie? Where are they?!"

"Trixie is, out of contact at the moment." Deep told them, perhaps a little quickly as he kept focusing on the falling debris. None of it was coming near them, but the sheer number did not bode well.

"And Fluttershy was keeping an eye on the situation until we can get there," Spike added.

"Hopefully she had the sense to get to shelter," Peace said, quickening her pace. "I don't know about you but I'd rather she have-"

Her sentence was cut off by a sudden flash from where she was running. By the time everyone else had looked round in shock, the only thing left in her place was a small piece of paper, flying along among them as if it had taken her place. Aurora took it in his magic and read as he ran. It was simple, to the point, and had near indecipherably eloquent handwriting:

Had to urgently borrow your friend Peace Walker for a vital task. Will explain once I'm certain everything is improving. Oh, and I'd suggest you all hurry. Discord.

"How did he...You know what? Nevermind." He muttered to himself as he dropped the paper and upped his pace. Clearly Discord knew something they didn't and if he was treating the situation this seriously, it had to be even worse than he'd feared.

"So did that explain anything?" Applejack asked, still looking and sounding lost over what had just happened.

"Probably, but only once we're already done." Aurora told her. He'd heard enough of how Discord worked to make that a safe assumption.

Within a minute the group approached the edge of Ponyville, headed toward Fluttershy's sanctuary and the Everfree. Just as they cleared the last of the houses, the sound of another magic blast erupted from ahead of them. It was unlike any they'd heard before, high pitched enough to make everypony fold their ears back in an attempt to shut it out. Spike was forced to stop and cover his ears fully. As soon as it faded and everypony was able to focus again, Deep hovered higher to try and see what was going on.

"That sounded like it came from Fluttershy's place!" Applejack exclaimed.

"No...Not exactly..." Deep told her, his voice suddenly so tense it was a wonder he could talk at all.

As they got closer, everyone could see why. Fluttershy's cottage, and the Angels Wildlife Sanctuary, had been reduced to a shallow crater. Broken strips of metal and wood lay scattered across the site, the surrounding land coated brown by the earth kicked up in the blast. All of them paused in place at the sight, trying to process what had happened. Fluttershy's family and animals had all been evacuated either during or immediately after the attack on Ponyville, but had she come back here during the fighting? Where was she?

Shocking as the damage was, it was nothing on what lay within the crater. On one side was Tantabus, seriously injured but staring straight ahead with a look of satisfaction. On the other, Twilight Sparkle. Her only injuries were limited to some minor cuts on her chest, but the look of mounting horror on her face indicated something much worse. Even as they reached the lip of the crater, Tantabus clenched her eyes shut and her horn glowed. Before they could move in, she had teleported away. With no idea how the battle had unfolded though, there was no way of knowing just where she was going or what she had done. In the heat of the moment though, those were no longer priorities.

"Twilight!" Aurora called as he rushed toward her, feeling with his magic for how she was doing. Overwhelming guilt and grief were all that met him. "How bad is it?"

Twilight didn't reply, the rapid rise and fall of her chest the only movement she was making. She didn't even seem to be aware that he was in front of her.

"Twi..." Spike said quietly as he moved in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just focus on me, ease your breathing a little."

His voice seemed to help as Twilight blinked slowly and looked up at him. Her mouth opened slightly and closed again, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Aurora opened his mouth to try and calm her, only to be distracted as Applejack looked down at some of the shards in the center of the crater. They were unlike any of the others, some red and jagged, others black and cold. Suddenly he understood what had happened, and just how badly things had gone.

Then Twilight screamed. A long, tortured cry that made everypony recoil in shock. It wasn't one of pain, but of grief, of loathing. Spike immediately pulled her close to him, trying to comfort her despite having no idea what had caused it. After several seconds the screamed petered out and she let her head drop against his good shoulder, sobbing quietly as everypony gathered round them.

"It's my fault..." Twilight said quietly, her voice cracking as she tried to bury herself in Spike's hold. "I took the amulet. I let myself give in because I, I didn't...I didn't trust you all. I caused all this damage...I...I-I killed Fluttershy!"

Applejack, Spike and Apple Bloom froze in place at those words, Deep's jaw dropped slightly, while Aurora simply stared in disbelief. Something in his gut told him that at least part of that confession wasn't true. It couldn't be. Twilight seemed genuinely broken though, sobbing her heart out as she buried the visible parts of her head in her hooves. The sight shook everyone hard, none of them sure how to respond.

"I saw the body..." Twilight continued weakly, her whole body shuddering. "The blood, everypony's blood. All on my hooves...The nightmare was real. She died because of me..."

As she sucked in a breath of air, even that being a challenge in her state, the others looked among themselves. Where were they supposed to start with trying to bring her round from this? More worryingly, what if it was true? Aurora looked upward as he tried to come up with something, repeatedly drawing blanks as ideas ran through his mind. None of the others seemed to be doing any better. Twilight looked set to break down even further, only to yelp as a sheet of paper flashed into existence in front of her. It shocked her out of continuing her meltdown for the moment at least. She looked down at it as it fell to the floor, everyone else doing the same. Applejack eventually moved to pick it up, reaching through the sheet quickly.

"Twilight..." She said gently as she finished. The others were expecting the worst, only to realise that she was smiling. Her voice sounded as though she were deeply relieved, rather than bearing news of the worst. "Ah think you should see what happened fer yourself."

As the alicorn took the paper in her magic and read through it slowly, something clicked in Aurora's mind. It looked like they'd be getting their explanation sooner than he anticipated.

Chapter 31 - Controlled Chaos

Chaosville
Any possible time earlier or later...It's an alternate dimension, what do you expect?

As unusual as it was for somebody like him to say, Discord had never felt so satisfied that nothing out of the ordinary was happening. As intriguing as the past few weeks had been, not to mention the subtle amplifier it gave to his natural talent, there was no fun in witnessing random chaos that he hadn't orchestrated. Control over the power of chaos was about more than just doing whatever one pleased, unleashing wanton carnage just because you could. It was about having fun with your talents, using the ability to do whatever came to mind to achieve a set purpose. Doing more with less. Ponies typically saw it as a nuisance at best. To him, it was art. And now Tantabus was out there, seemingly doing its best to give chaos a bad name. Unfortunately, it wasn't like he could just waltz on up to the lekli and show it exactly what he thought about its methods. Much as he hated to admit it, even he had his limits.

In a way, that made it a mercy that nopony had tried asking him for help after Celestia's initial effort proved fruitless. That left him free to keep up with his current pastimes; sprucing up his homestead to be slightly more incomprehensible to visitors and keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble across Equestria. Some that knew him might consider it a step down for the former Lord of Chaos, but they didn't know about the perk package. It gave him freedom to act and use his powers without being reduced to a tacky lawn gnome again, it built up his reputation to the point ponies didn't actively avoid him anymore and best of all, Fluttershy was proud of him. Really, there wasn't much more he could ask for at the moment.

Well, except for maybe a splash of Yellow Gold Tea.

Discord grinned to himself as he stirred the cup of ginseng tea he already had on the go, lifting the teabag out and letting it rest against the cup. They always sang better after a little hydration. As the teabag perked up and resumed singing its jaunty tune, he adjusted his sitting position and snapped his fingers. A bag with the aforementioned tea he desired popped into existence just above his hand, the bits for it left in it's place back in the shop. That would go nicely with a fennel and parchment sandwich later, for now he was still on duty.

Placing his cup of tea on the floor by his right side and looking up at the couch above him, he reached up over the armrest and pulled out a five foot wide board from behind the cushions. A set of four lights were installed on it, along with a set of nametags above them that had been haphazardly taped on. 'Fluttershy', 'General Mayhem', 'Family Issues' and 'Tantabus Attack'. All of them were currently unlit, just as he liked it. His little Flutters and her family weren't wanting and everything in that fun little dimension Equestria was part of was calm. It was a nice change. Fluttershy's husband, Solo Breeze or something like that, was decent for a pony but he was such a worrywart, and rather clueless. He usually couldn't go half an hour without setting off the family light somehow.

Satisfied that everything was as close to order as he could tolerate, Discord dropped the board and let it drift off into the weightless of his living room and turned to look for something else. The fact his antler got caught on the couch and sent it spinning off into the disarray meant nothing. In fact it sent a trace of satisfaction though him, a taste of chaos that kept him going when he wasn't able to flex his magic. After a few moments he spotted several sheets of paper floating nearby and grabbed them, putting on some half moon glasses as he read through.

"Hmm, zero error reports, nopony is getting attacked by some out of control magic...Hrmm. They really should do something about the Everfree forest being on fire." He tutted to himself as he snapped his teacup back into his hand and took another sip.

He could do it himself by scratching his nose if he so wanted, especially since the Everfree forest had been his home for millennia before encountering ponykind. But he could also sense a significant magical imbalance right next to it. Two ponies of significant strength and both with something that really didn't belong to them were going at it. That had to be Twilight and Sunglow Stutter, along with that pesky Tantabus. That thing had no appreciate for the finesse of chaos, simply spreading it through destruction and death. The boring methodology. Really, if they didn't happen to be inhabiting the third most powerful magic wielder in Equestria at the moment, he'd have a good mind to step right into the previous chapter and-

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rapid beeping from the light board. Discord sighed slightly in irritation and put his tea down again before reaching for it. It may have been just a delayed reaction to the fight, but he had to be sure. He brought it back over and looked it over, the look on his face instantly changing from one of annoyance to one of shock. Gravity kicked in as his focus on the world around him vanished, making him land on his back and squashing the unfortunate singing teabag underneath. None of that mattered right now though, all that mattered to him were the two lights that were now lit red with an alarming brightness.

Tantabus Attack, and Fluttershy. The latter wouldn't light up at all unless she was in need of his aid. To be on as strongly as this, her life had to be in immediate and very real danger. There was a sudden sinking feeling in his gut as he stared at the board for a moment before throwing it aside and snapping his fingers.

In an instant he was back in Equestria. From the looks of it he had appeared at some kind of farmstead, abandoned and with broken rock scattered everywhere. The sky above was filled with smoke pouring from the Everfree, ash starting to fall like light snow. Fluttershy was somewhere nearby, but why would she be in all this? Discord turned quickly as he picked up the feeling of incoming magic and saw a beam of potent red magic headed straight toward his head. It was a simple thing to simply separate his cranium enough for the beam to pass through the middle before putting it back into place. The fact he'd needed to at all told him just how dangerous the area was though. He didn't even need to look up to sense the duelling ponies above him, engaging each other at point blank range as they moved back toward Ponyville.

"Fluttershy?" Discord called as he turned in place, looking for any sign of her. His foot and hoof both stepped in something as he did so, a quick glance down putting an extra spark of concern into him. Blood, leading away toward a partially collapsed barn wall.

Discord was a being that had felt many emotions in his millennia of existence, most of them good in some way. As he looked toward the end of the trail, all of those wilted away in the freezing sensation of something new. Discord saw what lay before him and for the first time in his life, felt true fear.

Fluttershy lay slumped against the wall, slightly covered by rubble. She wasn't moving and didn't seem to be breathing. Blood was visible around her neck and chest, still wet and fresh from the look of it. It was near impossible to tell if she was still alive.

Discord was over to her in a flash, tearing the debris away and checking her over. While most of her body was still uninjured, a centimetre wide wound had been punched straight into the side of her neck and out the other side. It was too rough an injury to have been done by magic, though what exactly could have hit with enough force to do this was beyond his capacity to question at this time. Whatever it was, it had gone clean through her larynx and left it bleeding heavily. Even as he got a good look at her face he could see more blood dripping from her mouth and her eyes staring blankly. There was still a faint spark of life within her though, as they slowly moved to look in his direction. It was clearly fading though, leaving his first, closest and oldest friend on the brink of death.

Without thinking, Discord scooped up Fluttershy's limp body and brought them both back to his house. Anywhere was safer than that battlefield. As he laid her down on the carpet and looked for anything he could do, his mind kept racing. Pony doctors? Too slow but he didn't have any medical knowledge. Twilight? Busy with her petty squabble, very frustrating as she would probably have a spell for this. Those two friends of hers that knew healing, Zecora and Quick? Both unfit to help right now, or dead, judging by the state of the Everfree. But what was he supposed to do?! Panic was starting to set in as he desperately racked his brains for a solution. He could feel the state of chaos her body was falling into as she slipped further away. Any longer and...State of chaos.

He could control chaos. If he was precise, he could use it to save her. Maybe even fix her. But using it to manipulate a pony's body was beyond his usual methods, especially on this scale. The risk was only magnified by who it was. Could he really bring himself to do this to her?

The choice was already made. Even if he risked harming her, doing nothing would haunt him forever.

Focusing every trace of chaos magic he could muster, Discord placed a trembling paw against Fluttershy's throat and tapped it with a finger. A sudden glow of white from his chest almost made him heave from the sensation, like having a five ton weight lifted off his heart. The glow rapidly travelled down his arm and into her neck before spreading across her entire body, engulfing it in a flash. As soon as he could see again he pulled his hand back, holding his breath as he prayed to himself that it had worked.

Fluttershy still lay before him in the same position. Her neck wounds had healed over in an instant, the skin raw but intact. The light had come back to her eyes and even as he watched, she lurched and started coughing up the blood left in her windpipe. Her breaths were ragged and hoarse, yet they were still one of the most wonderful things Discord had ever heard. His magic had lost its sway over her, which could only mean her body was in much better shape than before. He couldn't help but beam as she relaxed again, her chest moving smoother with every breath. With everything that he had ever done in his life, up to and including ruling nations, he'd never felt so satisfied with any single one of his actions than he did now.

Feeling confident that she wasn't in danger anymore, he reached out to the side and materialised a towel. As he wiped the blood off his hands he sat down and kept watching her, silently gauging her reactions. She was still lying exactly where he had placed her, though now it was more like she was simply getting her bearings rather than dying horribly. It might help if she had some good news to recover to. The lack of sound from the board meant everything was good with her family and whatever was happening with Tantabus seemed to have subsided. It might be a good idea to check in with Twilight for advice. Normally that would have felt weird to even suggest to himself, but right now he was too relieved to care.

Discord closed his eyes, letting them head toward where he could sense her. When he opened them again they were...He wasn't exactly sure where. A quick glance down showed that his eyes were in a piece of wood embedded in what looked like a crater. A look back up gave him a rather unflattering angle of Twilight, repeatedly kicking and stamping at Tantabus as she lay helpless. If she was saying anything, he wasn't listening. He had just realised precisely where in Equestria they were. Even as devastated as the area was, he'd been there enough to know exactly what it had been mere minutes ago...This complicated things.

His eyes popped back to his body and he blinked back into focus. At this point Fluttershy was starting to come round, her head lifted slightly as she took in where she was. She looked lost, bewildered, but fortunately not frightened. Her gaze moved up to his and she relaxed slightly, her breathing steadily recovering to a more normal level. She still looked a mess with her neck, chest and front legs all bloody, but anything was a step up from the last few minutes.

"Discord...?" She asked weakly. Her voice was strained, like she was fighting to get the words out. Part of him couldn't help but think that his lack of pastel coloured equine anatomy might somehow have been responsible. "What, what happened?"

"Well, how do I put this?" He said gently, umming and ahing over what the best approach would be for several seconds before deciding. It wasn't like he could kill her with the shock of the news, right? "You may have almost died out there. I managed to save you though. Are you alright?"

"Throat hurts..." She replied, laying her head back down. That was to be expected, proper healing wasn't exactly in his resume for a reason. He nodded and started cleaning her off with the towel, doing his best not to be rough at all.

"That's to be expected. Once you're feeling a little more perky, I'll drop you off at a hospital so they can make sure everything's in the right place. Not that I didn't try."

"Is...Is Twilight, okay?" Fluttershy looked up at him nervously, still looking out for her friends even in her worst moments. Discord was momentarily stunned by her devotion before realising that she didn't know.

Her life's work was gone, home and business reduced to nothing. Directly or not, Twilight seemed to have had a hoof in it as well, even as she was beating Tantabus to a pulp. How was he supposed to tell Fluttershy that? Maybe it was their friendship or all the good he had done over the past few years, helping ponies out of situations that set off the general mayhem alarm, but he couldn't bring himself to outright lie to her anymore. This would require a little of the old Discord silver tongue, assuming she would follow it in her condition.

"Last time I saw her she was," He started, thinking for a moment. "There may have been a little, collateral damage but she seems to have a handle on things. Probably has the whole Tantabus situation wrapped up already."

As he looked down at her, he caught the look in her eyes. Only then did he realise that his hesitance and inflection had said everything he'd been trying to avoid. Seeing her face drop at those words, the hurt forming in her eyes, was painful to witness.

"I..." He sighed weakly and moved to sit next to her, gently lifting her head onto his lap. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you like that."

"What about, Breezy?" Fluttershy asked, desperation creeping into her voice even through the hoarseness. "Mist? Star?"

"All still safe in your little sky fortress."

Admittedly it probably wasn't the best time to be making cracks about Cloudsdale but it was having the desired effect. She nodded and flashed an expression of relief as she rested her head down again. That look was still in her eyes though, that sense of loss. He couldn't blame her. She'd lived in that cottage for nearly twenty-five years and run the wildlife sanctuary for thirteen. To lose all that in the blink of an eye...This was a problem beyond his capacity to handle. But he couldn't think of any of the other element bearers that had lost everything in the same way she had. What about the others though, the even less immediate friends? He could feel where each of them were if he put some effort into it, and could tell that a group were headed toward Twilight's position. One among them she would be perfect.

Besides, she would probably be the first to die if they actually tried to fight Tantabus or Twilight. He was technically doing a service, and Fluttershy needed this.

Discord beckoned over a slip of paper and a quill, writing down the message in his mind before sending it to an open space in the room. With a snap of his fingers it disappeared in a flash, replaced by a mare seemingly running in air.

"-The sense to stay what-a?! Wha? Wh-!?" Peace Walker exclaimed in surprise as she froze up from the sudden chance in environment. She dropped to the ground and barely landed on her hooves before spinning round in place and tensing up at the pegasus and draconequus before her. "Discord! What did you do?!"

"Only plucked Fluttershy from the field of battle and saved her life," He replied in annoyance, rolling his eyes at the typical presumption on show. "You're welcome."

Peace looked down at Fluttershy, watching as she nodded in affirmation. The earth mare quickly calmed herself at that and stood upright, getting a proper look at the state of the pegasus.

"Okay. And you brought me here because...?"

"Because," Discord stretched himself out until his front end was right next to Peace, wrapping a scaled hand around her shoulders and leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Fluttershy has just been through a very traumatic experience where she lost a lot of things very dear to her. You're the pony that can relate to that the best."

"So, you want me to talk her through how to handle losing everything?"

"I want you to try and help her."

Discord snapped back into his original position and watched, waiting to see if she would step up for his offer. Peace shot him a momentary glare, making it silently clear that she didn't trust him. Part of him expected nothing less. Her gaze then went down to Fluttershy, who had lifted her head enough to get a look at the newcomer. The look in her eyes softened and she shifted her lower jaw from side to side in thought. After just a few moments she walked forward and sat down on Fluttershy's other side, trying to decide what she was going to say. Once their discussion started it was softly spoken, hesitant yet caring. Discord couldn't really make out what was being said and could tell it wasn't meant for him to do so. In this case, he didn't mind.

He couldn't help but smile to himself. He'd done his part in getting his oldest friend the help she'd need. As soon as Peace Walker was done, he could get Fluttershy to be checked over by a medical professional, satisfied that everything had worked out as best it could. Now he could start thinking about his own concerns again, like how he was going to get the blood out of his cashmere rug.

Chapter 32 - The Devils You Know

"So, that's basically what happened." Applejack explained to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo as they sat in a lounge connecting the recovery wards. Night was starting to fall outside and the atmosphere around them was surprisingly relaxed, in spite of everything that had occurred today.

It had proven impossible to keep the full extent of what had happened a secret. The smoke from the Everfree Forest, coupled with the light show from Twilight and Tantabus' battle, had been visible from beyond Canterlot. Truth and rumors had spread like wildfire, few of them good. Tension among ponies in the capital was at an all-time high and it wasn't hard to imagine everypony was now expecting the worst. On the plus side of things, it turned out that Twilight hadn't been badly hurt, the Alicorn Amulet was no longer at risk of falling into Tantabus' clutches and the Ponyville weather team had already managed to bring the forest fires under control. All things considered, the only true downer point was that nopony had found any signs of Zecora's fate yet. Though with over a quarter of the Everfree caught in the flames, few dared to hold out hope.

The looks on Rainbow and Scootaloo's faces made it clear that they knew they couldn't have helped much in that kind of situation. Even for so much as supporting Twilight. Even with the news that Fluttershy was still alive, the princess hadn't said a word to anypony since and barely had the wherewithal to keep standing on her own. Spike and Aurora had brought her back to the castle to recuperate, but even they were struggling to get through to her at this point. Hopefully when news came of Fluttershy's condition, it would bolster her spirit.

Discord had surprised everybody with how much effort he had put into ensuring Fluttershy had come through this, both by using his magic for the opposite of its purpose to save her and attempting to give her emotional stability before sending her on for real treatment. Although nopony yet knew exactly what condition she was in, the fact the hospital was still relatively calm indicated that things couldn't be all that bad. All the same, any kind of news would be welcome. The wait was always the worst part and the three of them didn't feel like they could talk about anything to ease it.

As the sun outside was starting to finish its dip below the horizon, their attention was caught by the sound of a hospital gurney coming their way. Considering this lounge connected to most of the wards on this side of the hospital, it was enough to pique their curiosity. After a minute a dark orange earth stallion passed along the hallway at the far wall, pulling the gurney in his teeth. Fluttershy was rested on it, looking completely spent but alive and awake. The sight instantly sent a flood of relief through Applejack, Rainbow and Scootaloo as they got up and moved over to her.

"Flutters!" Rainbow exclaimed happily as she reached her first, taking a hoof in her own. "I knew you wouldn't be that easy to kill."

"Damn straight. Tougher than a frozen apple core." Applejack added, smiling more than the others. The nurse clearly recognised them as he had stopped to let them have this moment.

"Tougher than you..." Fluttershy countered, managing a weak smile. Her voice still sounded extremely rough and it was taking effort to get the words out, but she sounded happy. AJ simply chuckled and tipped her hat.

"Ah'll take that as a challenge."

"So...How's she doing?" Scootaloo asked the nurse, waiting as he checked the patient notes attached just under the handle he'd been pulling with.

"Well, she's out of immediate danger. She'd lost a lot of blood but that's something we fix all the time. It has left her needing extended rest though," He told them, waiting for Applejack and Rainbow to back off slightly before continuing. "As for her throat, Discord actually did quite a job of putting everything back in place. The doctor's scans show that everything is working as it should to some degree. She will need further treatments with potions and healing magic though, and there's a worrying chance of lasting damage to her vocal cords."

Scootaloo nodded and looked back toward the other two, who were now quietly filling Fluttershy in on what had happened. She looked rather shaken about the whole ordeal but was still listening intently. If she had any thoughts on Twilight's actions, she wasn't giving any hint as to what they were. As the nurse resumed pulling the gurney, Applejack moved behind it to give him an extra boost while Rainbow kept talking to Fluttershy. Despite the circumstances, the air among the group was still relatively calm, normal. Almost as if they were simply chatting about an old adventure while at the spa, instead of going through the aftermath of yet another disaster scenario.

"So, does your family know about this?" She asked cautiously. Fluttershy looked back up at her and nodded.

"Discord."

"You know, even I've gotta admit that he really came through for us this time." Rainbow commented as the mini-convoy headed into the wards, dropping behind Applejack so as not to take up the whole hallway.

"Yeah..." Applejack mused, looking back at her. "Now ah'm wondering though. Why didn' he do anything about Tantabus to begin with?"

The others looked at her, even Fluttershy seemingly given pause. Even when he refused to help or outright made things worse, Discord always had a roundabout way of making sure it was for a positive outcome. Here, he hadn't even lifted a claw to make his existence known until today. What was his intent?

"I don't know. I guess I seemed like the right pony in his eyes but...I-I just don't know."

Peace Walker sighed as she stared intently at the map, doing her best to shut out the castle around her. All she'd been able to think about since Discord had returned her here was, why her? He hadn't really offered her a chance to ask. She'd been focused on what he'd asked her to do and as soon as he'd felt Fluttershy was safe to travel he had teleported her back out. Little more than a rushed but surprisingly heartfelt thanks. None of it make any sense to her, and she'd been sitting here for hours trying to understand. Fluttershy still had her family, she had basically nothing. Her parents were long out of contact, Bulwark was gone. All she really had left was their home in Trottingham, and when was the last time she had stayed there? Well, there were the others. Even if she had done her best to limit her interactions with them, she still knew there were no other ponies she wanted watching her back if she went into danger again.

"I know Discord may not make a lot of sense, even at the best of times, but he always knows what he's doing. If he thought you could help Fluttershy better than anyone, I'm sure you did."

Well, ponies and a dragon.

"I tried my best, always do." She replied, looking up at Spike as he sat in Applejack's seat across the table from her, watching as he poked through a bowl of gemstones. He had been her only contact since returning to Ponyville, filling her in on what had happened.

"I know. And believe me, you have no idea how much it means to everypony." He told her, picking an emerald out and chewing on it.

As she stared at him for a moment, she realised that despite his constant strength and support, he looked like she felt. His moments were slowed slightly, his smile was somewhat strained and his body was hunched up slightly. He looked as though he badly needed the most vigorous relaxation treatment the Ponyville Spa could offer. Unfortunately the building had been another victim of Tantabus' attack on the town, mostly returned to charred stone. Even though it wasn't really her place to jump in on the matter, something in her felt like she had to offer some kind of help to him.

"Yeah...Hopefully it'll help everypony relax a little. Parre knows they need it," She replied as she looked back at him properly. "What about you though? Spike the dragon, number one assistant. Always helping to keep Princess Twilight going through thick and thin. You know her every bit as well as she knows herself. So you probably have as much on your shoulders as she does. Add that to the fact that everypony just seems to be getting worn down more and more, sleeping worse and getting moodier...How are you coping with it all?"

"Well, it hasn't been easy. Honestly? I'm not sure how well I'd do tonight if Aurora wasn't helping comfort Twilight. I've never seen her this shaken, and I didn't think that was possible after the Starlight incident. Second guessing most decisions from her princess duties to daily life, masked depression she hid from everypony, nightmares every night for months..."

"Oh...Why are you telling me this?" Peace asked in surprise. Spike blinked and looked at her as if he'd momentarily forgotten she was there.

"Oh. Sorry. I was, I was just rambling. Even though it was over twenty years ago, common knowledge now. Sorry that I did it to you."

"It's fine. I actually didn't know..." Peace looked down for a few moments before getting up from Fluttershy's chair. "Sorry, there's a lot on my mind at the moment and I'm weary enough as is. Is it alright if I stay at the castle for tonight?"

"Of course. There's only one guest room that's undamaged at the moment but we have space for you. Just head up to the next floor and follow the singing."

"Right...Thanks," She said sceptically as she made her way out of the map room. As she reached the door she paused and looked back. "Maybe you should get some sleep too. And for what it's worth, I really hope things get better for you and Twilight."

"Yeah. Me too." Spike admitted, resting his chin on his hand and poking through his bowl of gemstones.

Once she was outside, Peace momentarily hesitated. Part of her felt she should go back in and stay with the dragon, help him talk through his issues. She'd basically done it once today after all. Then again, she didn't really have as much common ground with him as she had with Fluttershy and she had had a clear head back then. Now it was getting late and weariness was starting to weigh down on her too. Hopefully that meant she would sleep deeply enough not to dream tonight. None of her dreams had been pleasant ones recently and she was certain most ponies were going through the same. That thought didn't help her mood either.

As she made her way to the upper level of the foyer and into the castle hallways, her ears twitched as they caught the faint sound of singing somewhere on this level. As she slowly followed it she started picking out the words. It was a song she didn't know, a slow and melodic piece about ponykind's faith in the princesses, but there was something soothing about it. That made a lot of sense that it made her feel that way. That was Sweetie Belle's voice, deep in her element, pouring her heart into emotional music.

It was almost surprising that she hadn't heard it sooner. Sweetie usually would have started on another music tour in the time she had been doing her part here. Instead of putting her talent out for the public to enjoy, she had instead chosen to put her life on the line to give that same public another chance at a peaceful life. They would never know why either, why she was choosing to risk sacrificing everything for them. Something about that just felt wrong to Peace Walker, unsettling that awkward feeling she had been developing. By the time she reached the door to the guest room, the singing had trailed off and she was feeling more like her usual self.

She pushed the door open to see a two bed room with basic accommodations for its occupants. Sweetie Belle was laid out on the bed to the right, stretched out on her back and reading a book by the light of her horn. Peace didn't look close enough to see what it was about, shutting the door behind her by the time the unicorn had seen who it was.

"Hi," Sweetie said as she sat up on her back. "You're staying here too?"

"Yeah...If you don't mind my asking, where were you today?" Peace replied, cringing slightly at her tone. It had come out harsher than she had intended, speaking without time to adjust for her attitude.

"I ah...Things in Canterlot got me side tracked. I realised there were a few ponies I needed to see while I had time," Sweetie admitted, looking down slightly. "By the time I got back to Ponyville, everything was already over. Spike filled me in and I tried to talk to Twilight earlier but, it's like she's shut down at the moment. She barely even acknowledged I was there."

"Well, we'll just have to help her though it where we can." Peace told her as she clambered into her own bed, yawning as her already tired mind took in the softness of the duvet under her hooves.

She barely had time to settle down before her exhaustion crept over her, sending her into a deep slumber she desperately needed. Her last conscious thought was about what still lay ahead, how Tantabus had managed to escape again. How she was probably already making her next move....

She was back in her own body, and it was the most painful thing she'd ever experienced.

Sunset Shimmer's screams echoed far into the night, yet she knew nopony would be able to hear them. Tantabus had retreated to a new hideout in the aftermath of her battle with Twilight, seemingly beyond the bounds of settled Equestria. They were now somewhere on a high peak in a group of isolated mountains, forest spreading out in every direction before fading into the pitch darkness. Not that she had time to try and figure exactly where it was. Tantabus had performed some emergency medical treatment on her injuries, focusing on the burns and broken leg, and she had been left to deal with the pain, as always. It always hurt but she hadn't been even the smallest amount of numbness this time, leaving her curled over on her side, convulsing in a desperate attempt to find any position that would hurt less.

'Honestly, you really thought your moment of defiance wouldn't have repercussions?'

Tantabus' voice was dripping with venom in her mind. Cold, hard contempt. Up until now it had usually talked to her as though she were a unending nuisance at best, one that could be mocked and raged at without consequence. The fact that was the only voice she'd regularly heard for the last three weeks had been taking a heavy toll on Sunset. But the fact she was being talked to without any condescension was even worse. She could feel every angered word thrumming throughout her mind, chipping away at her resilience and aggravating the pain further.

'Do you even KNOW what you've done?' It continued, almost snarling in anger. 'The Alicorn Amulet was mine for the taking. All you had to do was sit there, and let me handle the situation. I would have been away and unstoppable by sundown. Instead, you decided to play hero and ended up ruining everything for both of us. You know you could have actually kept your body if I'd had the amulet when I fixed it. Just a bad memory but still existing. Now though...The fact you're supposed to be the best of the defects is the only reason I haven't left your body to the arimaspi already.'

Sunset shuddered at the mere thought. Although nopony had seen an arimaspi since the Sacking of Griffonstone, roughly twelve hundred years ago, she knew Tantabus wouldn't make a threat she couldn't follow through on.

That did put a thought into her though, an idea of what she needed to do in order to stop this. Despite every fibre of her body feeling like it was dying in agony, she rolled herself onto her front. The high ledge she was on was relatively small and if she could just keep moving through the pain...Just keep fighting the control until her body had been reduced to an, unusable condition...It was a terrifying thought, but it was preferable and would have far more desirable results for the world. She was not a slave to anypony. She was not broken yet. She was Sunset Shimmer, and she would do whatever was necessary to help better Equestria. Princess Celestia had taken her on as her student for that very purpose and she would see it though. No matter how dreadfully it would cost her.

Just as she got a hoof gripping at the edge, her whole body lurched backward as her cutie marks glowed brightly. She could feel her fleeting control slip being torn away before her world went black again.

'I think not,' Tantabus told her firmly. Her tone was slipping back toward the indifference she usually displayed but the underlying anger remained. 'I can't have you jumping the gun again. That will come in time, but not before the very moment of my choosing. Until then, I will make you feel every last moment of the pain you inflicted upon us both. I will make you beg for death every day I am forced to remain like this. And I will make you witness everything you held dear being cast aside as easily your father was. Now, be a good little thing and stay quiet.'

Sunset had no time to reply before she was engulfed in pain again. This time, it was all she had. Only a flicker of her own willpower remained.

Chapter 33 - A Conflict of Interests

Author's Note

Good news for anyone worried about this fic suddenly halting without ending. Work on the drafts of Black Sun has finally come to a conclusion and I only need to go over the remaining chapters in editing. So, barring a catastrophic failure of my hard drive or my untimely death, there should be nothing keeping this story from being seen through to the end!

And in my eyes, the quality is only uphill from here.

Chapter 33 - A Conflict of Interests

November 8th

Another day, another question of if anypony else was going to suffer.

Aurora hardly moved as he stood upon the balcony of Twilight's castle, silently looking out over Ponyville. A heavy fog had been set over the town all morning and into the afternoon. Only the nearest buildings were visible to him, roughly forty feet at most. Normally his sensory magic would probably be able to see through it and detect everypony in town, if he used it at its weakest level. There was nothing out there right now though. Almost all of Ponyville's inhabitants had remained wherever they had scattered to during the attack. Though he hadn't heard much, it seemed that many were reluctant to return at all. Most of the ponies that came back at this point were construction crews, hoping to do something to return Ponyville to it's former glory. None of them would be working in this weather though, leaving the hidden ghost town silent.

It was like a mirror, giving him a look into ponykind's soul right now.

He'd been keeping up to date with what was happening elsewhere through the reports of EDF scouts, spread across Equestria to report any signs of trouble. From Vanhoover to Baltimare, Las Pegasus to the Crystal City, it was like everypony had a blanket draped over them. Though most were unaware of the truth, almost all knew something was wrong. Something that they weren't sure could be fixed. Sadness and frustration were permeating everything, fraying nerves and stretching tensions. How long could Equestria go on like this?

Even so, there was still nopony under more pressure than those at the top. Princess Celestia and Queen Cadance had to continue on like nothing was wrong, doing their best to lead their subjects while carrying the weight of the world. Cadance at least had Shining Armor to help shoulder the burder, But Celestia had nopony alongside her...Even now, she was supposed to attending a diplomatic meeting in Outlani. Trying to establish the first true connection between ponies and changelings, all the while having the thought of Luna's condition in the back of her mind. The thought of what any action that might delay her return could mean...

The thought that he may face such a situation one day, where it felt like the pressures of the entire world were all upon him, weighed heavy on Aurora's mind.

In moments like these, he could understand why Twilight had become so...Broken. He'd been working alongside Spike for days now, doing his best to keep her spirits up. Just to bring her round even. She still hadn't said a word since they'd found her after using the Alicorn Amulet though, hardly sleeping, barely eating. He could feel in her core that she hadn't exactly given up yet, but she had been through so much, felt so many soul-crushing losses were on her, that she just didn't know how to proceed. In truth, neither did he. Part of him just wanted to learn the spell that would separate Tantabus from Sunset Shimmer, go out himself and force a confrontation. It wasn't ideal but time was against them at this point. Not just for his friends and family, but the princesses and all Equestria.

And yet...He had a gut feeling, one that his heart echoed, that they couldn't do it without Twilight. That had always been the way. He had just been here to learn from experience, find out how a leader handled the worst the world could throw at them. How was he meant to carry on when the worst was too much for them to cope with?

Aurora's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of somepony teleporting onto the balcony, right behind him. He yelped slightly and span round, doing his best not to look like he'd been spooked by it. Before he could even finish the turn, his vision was filled with something soft and white, making him instinctively stumble back slightly. His tail was brushing against the railing before he could bring himself under control.

"Oh! Forgive me, Aurora, I didn't know you were there!"

He blinked as he realised that was Princess Celestia's voice, and that he had almost walked straight into her side with that turn. He looked up at her to see she was looking back at him, checking she hadn't accidentally hurt him. Now that he had a chance to look at her up close though, he could tell that she was in a rough way. Her face was worn with marks of exhaustion and stress. Like she'd aged a thousand years since they had last met. Her mane occasionally faltered in its flow, her left wing was being held slightly out of position and her movements were slow and tense. As bad as it looked, Aurora knew that this was still her masking the worst of it. The pain she must have been feeling inside was incomprehensible to him.

Just had bad were things for her and Luna at the moment?

"That's alright, your highness," He replied as he straightened up, hoping he didn't sound too awkward. "I wasn't expecting you either."

"I came as soon as I was able. It is sooner than I intended, but King Thorax has proven very accommodating in the short time I've known him. He agreed to postpone the discussions until Tantabus is defeated, so I've come to help Twilight realise she can still do this. Twilight has done more for me than she will ever realise, and now she needs my help...Is everypony else here?"

"Everypony left." He said simply. It wasn't until the words were out of his mouth that he realised just how hard hit they had been. When they had started, the six Elements of Harmony had had ten other ponies to support them. Now there were nine total, and only two elements left active.

"Please ask everypony to gather in the throne room," Celestia told him as she turned to head inside. Her voice sounding a lot more focused than she looked. "We have a long day ahead of us."

Aurora paused for a brief moment to surmise that the princess hadn't been to Twilight's castle in a long time before nodding and following her. Just as he was about to head for the undamaged rooms lower down, a sudden thought came to him. One connected to his first duty in this crisis, that made him wonder if they had even needed to be there.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked cautiously, waiting as Celestia looked back at him.

"I would welcome the distraction." She admitted, looking curious at what was on his mind. He didn't know exactly how to phrase his thoughts, so he decided to go for the straightforward way.

"I figured that when we were initially sent to track Tantabus, you had asked for help from Discord in order to get us out there quickly. If he knew, why did he not try to help? He doesn't seem the type to share Equestria with other supervillains, reformed or otherwise, and could probably have separated Tantabus from Sunset in a heartbeat."

Celestia stopped at the question, closing her eyes. Aurora wondered if he'd touched upon something he shouldn't have, not even daring to try and sense what she was feeling. Moments later though, he heard her sigh as she opened her eyes again. Her expression was one of regret, but also of relief.

"A very good question. One that I had for him as well...."

As the sun and moon steadily sailed past each other in the evening sky, Celestia's eyes narrowed slightly. There had been many trying times in her reign, but this one was alongside the failed campaign to save the Crystal Empire. The one that had led into Tantabus' first rise a thousand years ago. She'd already had too much experience in handling her sister's duties alone and this time it was even harder to do. Luna may have still been with her, resting inside the castle, but the knowledge that her little sister would die without her magic wore heavy upon the sovereign.

As if that weren't enough, the Elements of Harmony had been crippled as well. Even now she could look out from her position in the solar point and see the hospital where Rainbow Dash was fighting for her life at this very moment. That alone told her that she couldn't afford to rely on her usual methods this time. Having faith in Twilight while maintaining the peace had been fine twenty years ago, but a more direct method was needed on this occassion. At least she already knew just what she needed to do.

Once the moon was settled in place she turned back toward the center of the open room and launched a spark of golden magic toward the floor. For a few moments it simply sat in place, fizzing softly. Then it pulsed for a moment before disappearing. Celestia simply waited in place for a minute, tapping her hoof in slight impatience. Eventually there was a flash where it had landed and Discord phased into existence in front of her, wearing a monocle and using a pair of tweezers to work on a cart in a bottle he was holding.

"Ugh. Twilight, is this really a good time?" He muttered as he fiddled with the model a little, stopping as he glanced up and realised who he was actually talking to. "Aah, now I really should have known better after today. And to what do I owe the pleasure, my dear princess?"

"I need another favour," She told him, wasting no time as she paced around the tower. "I know you had a stipulation for before, but I will get you as many Snapping Turtles as you want if you do this."

"You still don't know what even one of those is." He told her. The look he received in return was enough for him to pause everything he was doing and stare at her in surprise.

"I will find a way. This is too important." She told him firmly, her gaze intensifying.

The tone of Celestia's voice, focus, determination, mixed with a little desperation, was enough for even Discord to realise that she had precisely zero tolerance for his hijinks right now. He snapped his side project away and started pacing around alongside her, the two of them circling the floor space, staring out into the night-bathed distance.

"Alright, let's hear it then. See how many turtles it's worth."

"I'll cut to the point, just like I'd like you to do. There's no denying that you're the single most powerful being on the planet. Do you think you can separate Tantabus from Sunset Shimmer and return her to Luna?"

"My my, so forward," Discord mused before bringing his hands together and stretching them out. "Skipping several dates is usually something reserved for the fans to do. But offering me a challenge like that? You know how much I love to flex my powers."

He shrugged and brought his lion paw forward, staring at it as he snapped his fingers. Nothing changed around them, though Celestia hadn't expected it to. Hopefully Luna would be feeling her other half coming back to her, leaving her at no further risk, ending this problem before it began and...Discord was snapping his fingers again. And again, his brow furrowing in irritation as he snapped them rapidly until the fingers he was using snapped off. Although she remained stoic on the outside, full panic was starting to set in on the inside. Why would he be doing that unless something had gone wrong? More to the point, WHY was it going wrong?

"Of all the...I swear this has never happened in front of you before." Discord grumbled as he reached down and reattached his fingers, shoulders slumping in resignation.

"What's never happened?"

"Well it would seem that something, or someone, is blocking my efforts to do so," He told her, his tone gaining the venomous edge he used when he was angered. "You know what? Forget the turtles on this one. No-one messes with my magic and gets away with it!"

"Well...Do you have any idea what could have caused it?" Celestia silently chided herself for letting her façade slip, the fear leaking into her voice. It was a small mercy that nopony else came up here and she had kept her voice quiet enough to prevent it being heard outside. Discord didn't seem to have noticed either as he was looking down, stroking his goatee in thought.

"Well there is one thing. I do try to keep all the error reports for my magic, on the off-chance it was down to something I can make my magic better."

Discord snapped his fingers and popped into a lime green jumpsuit with a matching cap. At the same time a stack of papers almost as tall as he was appeared next to him. Despite herself, Celestia was amazed that he'd actually had so many instances of his magic not working. The look must have shown on her face as he glanced over at her, lifting out roughly three-quarters of the papers and squashing them into a coaster sized picture of himself.

"What? I've made a few errors in my early days," He told her, twirling the picture on a claw. "All these ones were from my period as a statue though. You have no idea how annoying that was, forgetting to turn my error reports off before you and your sister took me for granite. All the while I was getting those messages about your pet tree stopping my plunder seeds from doing their job. Two thousand, one hundred and ninety-four years, eight months, three days and nineteen hours of hearing this every few seconds."

He snapped his fingers a few times, each one making a strange bonging noise, before moving onto the remaining papers and looking through them.

"So yes, I was perhaps a little crabby when I woke up, trying to get that out of my ears. Now, let's see if we can find what the problem is...No. No, not that one either. Pretty sure that one was an alternate me, what was he even doing teamed up with Starlight Glimmer? Wow, even I think I could have set up a sorting system to do this for me. But where's the fun in that? Ah...Again you thwart me!"

Discord flipped round the paper he was holding and pressed it up to Celestia's muzzle. She quickly grabbed it in her magic and read through, looking for anything that might give her answers. Most of it was either irrelevant or incomprehensible to her, but the cause of the error was laid out clearly in the center of the page.

'Error 626. Harmony.rtr has initiated magic counterbalance, chaos influence disrupted. Please contact tree for assistance.'

"It does take a while to learn how to read tech support," Discord commented as he took the paper back, lifting his cap back slightly. "But in short, the Tree of Harmony decided that this needed to happen. Enough to subtly use its magic to stop me from intervening. I always thought that rock was getting smarter over the years, but this is ridiculous!"

Celestia was hardly listening as Discord continued his explanation, staring blankly as she tried to comprehend what she had just heard. It sounded like...Like she specifically wasn't allowed to do anything. Like the very element that she, her husband and her sister had fashioned had taken on a will of its own. One that seemed to have a plan, and was not willing to let her work with one of her own. The one time she wasn't willing to stand by and see how things played out, she was being forced to.

Sometimes fate had a cruel sense of humour.

"I had planned to tell Twilight after the Alicorn Amulet was initially recovered, once she was feeling better," Celestia admitted, slowing her steps slightly. "But after Spike informed me of the nightmares she'd been afflicted with, followed by everything else you've all been through..."

Aurora looked down slightly, unsure how to respond. He couldn't imagine how difficult it had been for her to hear those words. That had explained her fervour when she had gone to Tantabus' hideout in the Badlands though. After being stymied already in these circumstances, he would have taken any opportunity to end it himself too.

"I know it's easy to disregard, but your struggles have been every bit as important as ours," He eventually said, seeing her look at him in surprise. "Forgive my forwardness, but if you need somepony to talk to about-"

"I appreciate the thought, Aurora. I really do. But my time to air my feelings will come when this is done. Right now, Twilight needs it far more. And we need her in turn."

Aurora nodded, trying not to look grim. Much as he didn't want to admit it, Twilight probably was the only one who could hope to stand up against Tantabus at this point. Celestia had given enough magic to Luna to leave herself vulnerable and Cadance had her hooves full attempting to prevent a civil war breaking out back home. Anypony else attempting it would effectively be on a suicide mission. After what had happened with Starlight Glimmer, he'd had enough of ponies treating the crisis that way. As the two of them reached the door to Twilight's room they paused and both looked at each other, both momentarily lost for exactly where they should go from there.

"Spike's in with her at the moment," He eventually said, looking down the hallway. "Between the two of you, you should be able to convince her to come out. In the meantime, I'll gather the others."

Celestia simply nodded, headed inside while he continued onward. In truth, he was feeling a lot less confident than he had when the princess had arrived. It was only just setting in that everything he had tried to bring his aunt round so far had fair, and now everypony was going to have to try to do the same. Perhaps the worst part though, was wondering what Twilight would have to say about it all.

Chapter 34 - Unspoken Echos

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 35 - Serendipity

November 11th

To anypony who was simply out on their day-to-day business, it looked like it would be a day like any other. Clear morning skies with a crisp wind blowing from the west, enough to keep anypony's wits sharp when outside. There was something more to it though. A faint hint of foreboding carried across the skies. As she stepped out onto the throne room's private balcony and looked over Canterlot, Luna already knew. One way or another, the situation with Tantabus would reach a critical point before the sun set tonight.

She could feel it. Today was a day for endings.

She sat herself down at the railing and slowly looked out at the view, the unhindered sight lines allowing her to commit it all to memory. To the north were the great grasslands, a region that had remained untouched by strife for centuries. A representation of the peace they were still fighting for, and hopefully may return to soon. To the south-east, just at the limits of her vision, the battle scarred remains of Ponyville. A painful reminder of the devastation that may yet be coming if anything went wrong. And here she was, stuck in the middle, not knowing which one of those two futures was coming, or whom would be leading them there. Twilight, or Tantabus...

Luna hunched over and clung tightly to the railing, silently cursing herself for thinking about her other half. If she focused hard enough on something else, anything that wasn't Tantabus, she could keep the worst of her symptoms suppressed and focus on what few duties she could still handle. Now that was gone too, and the weight of the hole inside her was bearing down in full force. In an instant her head was swimming, feeling like sparks of magic were firing off inside her brain. She wanted to vomit but there was nothing to bring up. Deep inside her heart, she could practically feel her body, her very soul attempting to shut down without Tantabus to keep it stable. How long had it been since her last magic infusion? It had to have been before Celestia went to sleep. That must have been fourteen hours ago at least. At this point, anything over ten was getting dangerous.

"Luna, you fool..." She grunted to herself as she gripped the railing tighter, starting to sweat. She'd never gotten used to the feeling of lekli withdrawal and this was the worst she'd ever felt it. If she hadn't skipped breakfast, she would have been just fine. If she'd just been thinking straight...

She hardly heard the hoofsteps behind her, her ears growing so sensitive she could hear the blood rushing inside them. The urgency and speed in them told her all she needed to know about who it was though. Her world went backward as she was pulled away from the edge of the balcony, magic gripping her hooves hard enough to yank them away from the railing. Then she was on her back and something was pressed directly to her chest, right over her heart. She could only close her eyes and focus on her breathing. After a few seconds a soothing coolness began to pool in her chest and spread through the rest of her body. The damage was halting for now, but it wasn't being repaired. That didn't matter in the moment though. She felt normal again. Exhausted and utterly derelict in her duty, but normal.

However bad she was feeling right now, she also knew it was nothing compared to how her sister felt.

After a few moments the soothing feeling faded and she was gently moved back onto her front, hooves coming back into contact with the ground. Luna opened her eyes again and took a deep breath. She'd been turned around and was facing the door back to the throne room. As she'd figured, Celestia had been the one who had been there, and the infusion had taken it's toll on her. Her mane had stopped flowing altogether and although she physically didn't look any worse, there was a look of pure desperation locked behind her eyes. A fear of losing her sister again that was only growing stronger with each passing day.

As soon as the magic connecting them ended, Celestia went limp and slumped forward. Despite her own weakness, Luna managed to catch her and pulled her into a close hold. She knew that she had the stronger will at this moment, her stubborn refusal to accept her current limitations both aiding and hindering her in equal measure. She carefully lowered them both to the ground, panting slightly as she checked Celestia over. Thankfully it looked worse than it was, she had merely fainted from the strain rather than anything more insidious. Even as she finished the thought, Celestia stirred back into life and looked at her, tears forming in her eyes.

"It gets harder, every day..." She said quietly. Luna simply nodded, not needing to ask which meaning she was using. It was all of them at once.

"I know, sister. I have to ask though. You feel my condition every time...How long do I have left?"

Celestia practically wilted at the question, looking away for several long seconds. Luna simply waited. She couldn't deny she was afraid of the answer, but she would rather face her increasingly likely fate than let it remain an unknown. She had never been willing to let the unknown remain as such if she could help it. Eventually Celestia looked back at her, the tears coming in full flow.

"Two weeks at most, before I have to choose. The drain on my magic grows stronger with every cast though. It..It will likely be even quicker than that...Luna, h-how can you just sit there and be calm when we're about to be torn apart again? For good this time!"

"I've always been the better at hiding feelings like those," Luna replied simply, standing up and making sure she wasn't having any trouble doing so. "There's something I want to show you."

Celestia stared at her before shakily getting to her hooves as well, following Luna's gaze. She was looking down from the balcony, into Canterlot's Celestial District. Most of it was housing for the city's most renowned citizens, but there were a few notable landmarks in the area, including the one Luna was indicating. The Royal Canterlot Archives.

"Your efforts to help Twilight find herself again succeeded and now she is returning the favour," Luna continued, her resolve increasing with every word. "She and her friends, you and I, we have already come so far in finding a way to reconnect me to Tantabus and now their efforts have redoubled. Do not be the one to lose faith now."

Despite the pressure she was under, Celestia couldn't help but crack a smile at the reversal of situation. Her mane steadily started flowing again as she nodded, regaining her composure and stepping a little closer to her sister.

"You're right. Our roles have not changed and we must trust Twilight in hers." She said, sounding reassured.

Luna smiled and nodded, looking back in the direction of Ponyville. Somehow, it didn't look quite so ominous anymore. Maybe it was due to feeling closer to whole in the moment. Maybe it was her need to stay strong for her sister giving her newfound confidence. Or maybe it was just that suborn determination. Whatever the cause, she saw it in a new light. Not so much a portent of the end, but as a benchmark to do better than. To raise back up once this was over, and ensure such calamity never befell it again.

"Besides," She commented. Partly to Celestia, partly to herself. "I feel that we are much closer to the end than anypony thinks."

Twilight clicked her teeth together as she looked through her notes for what felt like the hundredth time that hour. Over a dozen sheets were laid out on the table in front of her. Rach one containing concepts and weaves for a unique spell that would pull Tantabus from Sunset and return her to Princess Luna. Every one would work in theory, but only two that had been modified by the princesses would do it without killing Sunset in the process. On top of that, there was the ever present issue of what to do about the Tomb of the Gods. Even if there was no way to destroy it as things were, something told her that it still had some role to play. If only she could figure out what...

She lowered the flashcards and looked round at the others, needing something else to focus on for a few minutes. Her remaining team had set up in the restricted section to ensure they would not be disturbed, going through every book in the archives that may provide a hint or idea of how to proceed. Spike and Aurora were impressing her once again, keeping pace with her notes and making their own additions. The two of them were currently seeing if any of her spell ideas could be mixed for a better result. Applejack, Sweetie Belle and Deep Note were practically buried in books as they attempted to find any further information. Apple Bloom and Peace Walker, while the least academic members of the ground, were doing their part by ferrying any books and supplies needed back and forth.

Any one of them could end up finding something that would tip the scales, and part of her hoped it would be so. They were every bit as capable of doing good as she was. She would always regret forgetting that in her dark moments of the past month. Maybe that was why she wasn't fully focused now, listening to their small conversations while they studied. She needed the sense of camaraderie. They all did. It was paying off though, the atmosphere was a lot more relaxed than she could remember.

"So, Spike, just a thought," Aurora mused as he put down a copy of 'End of an Era: The Great Celestia-Luna Rift'. "How hard was it for you to learn the basics of dreamwalking? Just the part about projecting yourself into other ponies dreams."

"Easy to learn, hard to master," Spike replied as he glanced over the combined notes Twilight and Aurora had set up, drawing invisible lines between them with his claws. "Depends what you want to do with it."

"Well, it's a long shot. But I thought if Twilight could somehow project herself into Tantabus' mind, she might be able to fight an a ground her opponent's not prepared for, or help Sunset Shimmer take back control. It would make separating them much easier."

"That...Actually sounds pretty clever." Sweetie Belle commented, twirling a book in her magic as she moved it back onto the bookshelf next to her. She sounded weary, but optimistic. Twilight couldn't help but silently admit that she was radiating a lot of the pleasantness that was keeping everypony going. Rarity and Pinkie would be proud.

"Normally it would be," Spike mused as he turned to face Twilight. "But dreamwalking requires a lot of focus to instigate, undivided attention. I don't think you'd be able to get that if you're close enough to do anything."

"Right...Right. Good effort but...Not quite what we need." Twilight sighed and tapped a hoof against the table, ears flicking in frustration.

"It's still a step forward," Peace commented as she watched from the side, looking like she was trying to lean against a pile of books without knocking it over. "And if anypony can figure out how to make an impossible idea work, it's you three."

Twilight nodded and looked back at her notes. Peace was right, they were steadily inching toward a workable solution. The answer was right in front of them, it was just a case of how long it would take for somepony to look at things the right way to see it.

"Okay, possibly an even stupider idea but worth a shot," Aurora mused, leaning back in his chair. "Twilight, do you know where the Tomb of the Gods is right now?"

"Yeah, I do. It's not too difficult to pick up something that powerful. Especially when it's relatively close."

"Right, good," Aurora nodded, drawing a few looks of surprise from those that heard him. "And if you opened it, do you think Tantabus would go for it?"

"Without question, everything she wants is inside...Aurora, you may be good at thinking tactically, but I'm not sure what leading our enemy straight to her target is going to do."

"Think about it," Aurora said as he sat forward, the cogs in his mind turning fast enough to almost be audible. "If all those safeguards you mentioned are still intact, then the Tomb of the Gods is basically indestructible in its current state. I mean, even Celestia wasn't able to do much and she was putting out huge amounts of magical energy. You're still stronger than Tantabus is, and it's the one place in Equestria where you're free to hold nothing back."

For a few moments, Twilight was amazed by the ideas her nephew could come up with. If she went to the tomb, it would effectively be forcing a showdown with Tantabus on a near equal battlefield. There was always the risk of the entombed lekli, but she had no desire to let them out and Tantabus would never risk damaging them until they gave her what she wanted. Caligo would be the only one who might get in the way. That said, the amount of power they'd be throwing around would hopefully convince him to keep away, especially while the memories of Ortasin were relatively fresh in his mind.

"Very smart," She acknowledged, smiling at his look of contained content. "That's a very good start. Now, we just have to...Still figure out exactly how to separate the two of them."

"Have to admit, right now a few extra heads wouldn't go amiss to bounce ideas off of," Applejack commented, staring down at the book in front of her before sighing quietly. "I mean, Trixie were able t'do some flashy tricks. She could've given us a new way t'look at things...Suddenly, ah wish Bounty was here..."

"Me too," Deep Note said, looking over to her sadly. "If nothing else, his ability to siphon off his magic could have been used to give Twilight a boost. Always found new ways to put a spin on things too."

"And Starlight," Sweetie mused as she rested her chin on her hoof. "Imagine if those three could have given their magic to Twilight. Tantabus wouldn't stand a chance!"

Everypony was silent for a few moments as they processed the idea. The sound of a quill dropping to the table broke them out of it near simultaneously and they looked round to see it had come from Twilight. She was staring back at them, a look of dawning realisation on her face and a glint of pure elation in her eyes.

"That's...That's it. That's it!!" She exclaimed joyously, pulling fresh scrolls, quills and ink toward her before starting to write quickly. "You two are geniuses! Okay. Deep, Applejack, can you tell Spike everything Bounty told you about his ability? Spike, get every detail you can written down. Aurora, go to Ponyville and see if the doctors there are willing to give information on the same."

As Aurora nodded and teleported away, Sweetie Belle came over and watched Twilight's enthusiastic writing from over her shoulder. Her new papers, held out in front of her with her magic, were already a mess of diagrams connecting across scrolls and using terms she'd never even heard of. Virtually all she could figure out was that it was the blueprint for weaving a whole new spell together. Everything beyond that was far above her level. None of the others were paying it any mind, each of them simply enjoying the boost. For the first time in far too long, the dominant feeling among the gathering was one of hope.

"You genius!" Applejack told Deep while he waited for Spike to gather extra parchment. "Ah knew there was another reason I wanted to keep ya around."

"Ah. Somepony would have come up with it eventually," He replied, blushing slightly as he rubbed his cheek. "Wait, what's the first reason?"

Now it was Applejack's turn to blush. She looked down for a few moments, tripping over her words before looking back up at him.

"Oh, you know...Ah've been thinking about what might happen. Could go right, could go awfully wrong. May not get another chance to show you what our talk meant. Point is, you've earned this."

Before anypony could ask what she meant, she leaned over and her lips met Deep's. Apple Bloom's jaw dropped while the others watched with a mix of dawning surprise and knowing grins. The kiss only lasted for a few moments before Applejack pulled back again and pulled her hat over her eyes, momentarily overcome by awkward shyness. Deep simply stared back at her in stunned awe before chuckling softly and placing a hoof under her chin.

"Well...Glad you feel the same way." He said, bringing it up to stroke her cheek and then lifting her hat up enough for her to see his smile.

"Guess I shoulda seen this comin'," Bloom commented once she found her voice. Though there was still the faintest hint of pain behind it, nopony either noticed or drew attention to it. "Congrats sis."

As the others joined in offering their congratulations, Twilight put her work to one side and watched them with a small smile on her face. This was what she'd been shutting herself away from, these small moments between her friends that lifted everypony's spirits. It may have just been her imagination, but things suddenly seemed much clearer, so much easier. They were all back together and she was already making a breakthrough. Granted it involved a highly experimental weave of magic that nopony had ever attempted before, but she had every confidence that she could make it work.

She had to. She wanted to make it up to them for everything she had subjected to them to through her carelessness.

It was a small mercy that none of the others could follow the spells she was working on. The ideas she had in mind were dangerous and they would have tried to talk her out of it. She already knew she wouldn't take any undue risks though. As it was, one of these spells could only be used as a last resort. Combined with the others suggestions though, the two spells she held had the potential to stop Tantabus and end the lingering threat of the lekli once and for all.

Possibly at the same time.

Chapter 37 - The Death of the Old World

Twilight had lost track of how long she had been sat in place now. She hadn't moved a muscle for some time, effectively out of her body as she focused everything on her spell. Making different types of magic interact with each other was difficult enough at the best of times. The only reason she had even been able to now was because her magic was weak enough to be ignored, slowly filtering into all the tomb's magic and steadily being woven into the spells she had isolated as maintaining the safeguards. As long as she had some form of physical contact with the tomb itself, it would fuel her spells and steadily drain itself in the process. In addition, if those safeguards trigged then their ability to replenish themselves would be limited. That would result in it either being drained faster or being left open to actual damage.

Given what she knew was coming, one of those two options would be an inevitability.

Her ears twitched at the sound of echoing hoofsteps somewhere behind her. There wasn't time to try and make the spell any more advanced, but she was confident that she wouldn't need to at this point.

Twilight opened her eyes as the spell faded and the tendrils of magic quickly retracted back into her horn. The glow around her hooves remained active though, indicating the spell was working. She stood back up and turned to face the entryway, her face blank as she was only met with the darkness. A faint light the way she'd come in was the only indication of the way back to Equestria, and there was a silhouette in front of it. The hoofsteps were uneven, whoever was coming was limping. Every so often in the moments of silence, there was the faintest sound of dripping. Were they bleeding? As they got closer she could hear their breaths, heavy and laboured. Whoever was coming in was in a rough way.

Despite what she knew it meant, Twilight couldn't help but grin a little. Applejack must have put up an almighty fight outside.

"Twilight!" Tantabus called harshly as she stepped into the chamber proper. As the unicorn's horn glowed for light, Twilight got a full look at the extent of her injuries. Rather sizeable bruises ran along her torso and front legs. The right one was dragging limply, seemingly disabled. Blood was running from the left side of her mouth, the amount implying she'd lost a few teeth. Despite it all, she still carried an air of determination and superiority.

"Tantabus." Twilight replied, her own horn flaring to life as she took a defensive posture.

"For what it's worth, you chose well," Tantabus' voice actually seemed to carry the faintest hint of respect at those words. It was still filled with contempt though, with a warning undertone that she had zero tolerance left. "The...The 'earth pony' was the greatest challenge anypony other than you has given me so far. And it led to this, our final destiny in the empire. Honestly, there's no more fitting place to end our rivalry."

"You know what? I agree." Twilight stepped closer and poured some more energy into her horn. To her internal delight, she could feel the near unnoticeable drain was coming from her hooves rather than her mind. The spell was working perfectly.

Tantabus looked momentarily surprised at the response but supressed it quickly and paused. Her magic aura appeared over her injured spots and she winced, rapid healing at work. When it faded the bleeding had stopped and she was able to bring her leg back into position, though with minor difficulty.

"I've seen the world you're familiar with," Twilight continued. "I understand why you'd want it back. But I can't stand by and let you create an Equestria that runs at your whim alone. Luna will know-"

"Quiet!" Tantabus snapped, disgust evident on her face. "I would rather let myself be sealed in here than have a clueless imposter thinking she knows what's better for this world than a real lekli. Now shut up, do what's best for everypony, and DIE!!"

The words were barely out of her mouth before she teleported. Twilight saw the move coming and teleported herself ten feet backward, reappearing just after Tantabus did, right where she had been standing before. She gritted her teeth and released her built up energy, directing it into a blast of magic that engulfed her foe. Tantabus yelped as she was blown back toward the exit, only to grip herself in her magic and swing round, firing straight back with lightning speed. Twilight was forced to throw up a shield to resist, and even then she felt the very tip of the spell nip at her chest fur, coming close to hitting her properly. She didn't have time to think about it anymore.

For their own reasons, neither of them could afford to hold anything back now. She would think about what she was doing once it was over.

Twilight pushed herself into the air and flew at Tantabus, firing a rapid scatter of magical bolts as she went. Tantabus met it with her own volley. The charged attacks collided in mid-air, making the chamber flash white and purple fast enough to send an unprepared pony into an epileptic fit. Twilight remained unfazed, dashing through the miniature smoke clouds thrown up by the impacts and gauging her opponents' reaction. Tantabus had her horn raised to fire just above her, likely to try and drive her down, into her hooves. Clever, considering the closing speeds. But now she'd seen it, her instincts were telling her how to counter.

She dropped as the anticipated beam scythed through the air just above her, saw the smirk on Tantabus' face as she started to bring her hoof out for an uppercut. Had she fallen for it, the blow would have seen the hoof planted firmly into her stomach. Twilight pushed her body forward more in response, bringing one of her hooves onto the floor and bracing on it. A quick moment of self levitation allowed her to launch off from the move and go flying over Tantabus' back, horn aimed directly at the unicorn's exposed back. Despite the speed, Tantabus had managed to pull her head back and fire off a counter-attack. The two spells met in the six foot gap between them and Twilight's world became a hot blur for half a second. Her self control was completely overruled by the shockwave from the blast, skin tingling from the energy washing over it. Then it all became pain as she hit the ceiling, stomach first.

Before she could react she was bouncing back toward the floor. It took all her remaining focus to alter her trajectory through split-second levitation, allowing her to turn a straight crash to an angled roll. Even then, it was too fast for her to keep on her hooves and she skidded to a halt on her left side. As she sucked in as much air as she could get, Twilight took stock of her situation. Her body had gone rather sensitive from being almost at ground zero of that burst of magic. Her entire underbelly was aching and she had to be at least partially winded. Not a good state to be in so early on. If she could keep it from getting worse though, she still held the advantage. She forced herself onto her front and pushed her front hooves up, looking round for where Tantabus had gone.

Tantabus had come to a halt roughly twenty-five feet away, also scrambling back to her hooves. Being under the blast point seemed to have done further damage to her bad leg, as she was struggling to hold it straight once she was back on all fours. Unfortunately, that hadn't impaired anything else. As soon as she was on her hooves she opened fire, forcing Twilight to roll out of the way. Beams of aqua flared against the ground around her, coming within inches of burning her momentarily vulnerable body. Twilight panted as she managed to get behind a pillar and straighten herself up, getting her breathing back under control. The pillar vibrated slightly against her as Tantabus attempted to fire straight through it, black sparks being thrown off it and against the floor around her.

'Wait, would this be enough to trigger the failsafes?' Twilight thought as she pressed closer to the pillar, making herself as small as possible. A few moments later, she got her answer as the entire tomb flashed silver around her, accompanied by a burning sensation in her hooves. Her magic was part of the failsafe spells now, her being in contact with the tomb as it happened seemed to mean it was being channelled through her too. Unfortunately, all that seemed to be doing was forcing far more magic than she was used to through her, burning her up as the heat spread up her legs. She needed to dispel the energy quickly.

Tantabus had momentarily stopped attacking, likely caught out by what was happening around her too. Twilight took the moment and pushed herself out of cover, firing what was intended to be a regular beam of magic. Instead, a colossal surge of energy, almost as wide as she was long, erupted from her horn and lanced forward faster than any magic she'd ever seen. Tantabus managed to bring a shield up, but the force of the attack sent her skidding backwards as she fought to hold it back, hooves scrambling for purchase on the stone floor. Twilight couldn't even see it around the flare caused by her spellcasting, the sense of euphoria rushing through her veins momentarily blinding her to what was happening. She could feel the notable drain through her hooves as the excess magic burnt away. The tomb's strength was definitely weakening after an attack like that. Now, she just had to...

The thought was cut off as Tantabus managed to teleport next to Twilight and bucked at her, kicking one of her legs out from under her. Twilight cursed her moment of distraction as she just about kept herself from falling and took to the air, exchanging fire as she weaved backward amongst the pillars. It had shaken her enough to bring her body back to form though. Her less vital senses were numbed and her mind was back on what mattered. Now, she had to find an opening to free Sunset and Tantabus from each other.

A sudden jolt ran through her, like a spark of electricity touching every nerve of her body.

She didn't have any nerves at the moment though. She didn't even have a body.

Sunset Shimmer looked round her mental prison, if it could even be called doing that. It was just black everywhere, the same as it always had been since...How long had it been? She didn't know how many days had passed it had been since she'd last had any control. This wasn't like usual though. Normally Tantabus' taunts and derisions would be echoing around her, trying to wear her down until she submitted entirely. Now though, it was simply silent. Although she relished the moment of clarity it allowed her after weeks of near endless torment, it also left her suspicious. Why would Tantabus be leaving her alone like this?

After a few moments it dawned on her that there had to be something else taking up her captor's attention. Something pressing enough that there wasn't time to pay attention to her anymore. If she had been capable of it anymore, Sunset would have grinned. Ever since her last period of control in the Arimaspi territory, she had been remaining quiet. Conserving her strength of will for a critical moment where she could exploit Tantabus' vulnerability and turn the tides. If she focused, she might just be able to make a start.

After a few moments, she felt her eyes open. She could feel her actual body again, though all her senses were heavily muted. A point that was confirmed as she felt herself being thrown backward into a wall. A blow like that would have winded her at best, yet it felt no worse than being firmly poked in the back. Her body was moving on its own, pushing itself back onto its hooves. Tantabus was still in complete control, but she could see and feel what was happening. On seeing where she was, she realised that Tantabus was a lot closer to achieving her goals than she'd hoped. At least Twilight was still fighting, and judging by the look she got at the alicorn as Tantabus charged her, she was fighting for the right reason this time.

'I'll do what I can, Twilight...Good luck.' She thought as she watched the duel unfolding before her eyes, doing her best not to react to the hooves and magic that came at her near constantly. There wasn't anything she could do from here, but that might change with a little time, and with Twilight continuing to fight as hard as she was.

Twilight gritted her teeth as she ducked under an incoming beam from Tantabus, barely pulling her wing back in time to keep it from being roasted. Getting close like this was always a gamble. Neither of them had any real training in hoof-to-hoof combat, but Tantabus always preferred to use her magic if she could help it. Applejack had been able to give her a hard fight as a result and the best chance to win here, tough as it was to imagine, lay in aggravating those injuries.

As soon as she had clear space again she used her wings to propel herself forward, ignoring the tomb's flash as her hooves were off the ground this time. The slight shift in focus cost her dearly. Tantabus fired a follow up strike that nicked her left wing, making her yank it in as she hissed in pain. Her world went sideways and she hit the ground at high speed, barely rolling enough to keep from damaging her neck. For a moment she wondered if Tantabus would be able to follow up the hit, only for her hind left leg to strike something soft and send her spinning in mid-air. Even through the rush of air filling her ears she could make out a grunt from Tantabus, followed by the whine of incoming magic.

Twilight gripped herself in her magic and brought herself to a halt as the follow up attack skimmed past her head, close enough to graze her eyelashes. The second one came before the first had even fully passed, striking her square in the back. Twilight screamed as she was thrown at least two hundred feet down the chamber, her back burning from the energy unleashed at her. Her senses were momentarily paralyzed from the pain, leaving her helpless as she hit the floor again. Before she could reorient herself she hit the wall as well, yelping as she felt something in her chest dislocate. Despite the agony that came from simply moving as she got back to her hooves, it was numbed by a fresh surge of anger. She wasn't going to lose now, not when she was so close, when she had so many to avenge. So much to set right.

She looked back to see Tantabus charging her again, propelling herself forward in her magic and firing another strong beam. Twilight timed her moment and teleported into the unicorn's path, bringing her strongest shield up. The magic completely missed her and Tantabus crashed against the shield, ramping her magic up to push harder against it. Twilight dug her hooves in as they skidded backward along the stone, waiting for the stray strike to hit the wall. Sure enough, a few moments later the tomb flashed around them again. As soon as she felt the energy start to build up again she unloaded it all into the shield. In a split second the shield started glowing an even stronger purple than usual, enough to flash blind both of them. Then she removed her mental control of the projection, letting all the magic be released in a colossal explosion that engulfed both of them.

Twilight was able to bring up a shield around herself, using the energy of the next discharge to power it and withstand the intensity of the blast. Tantabus's roar echoed throughout the chamber as she was thrown all the way back toward the exit by the force of the blast. The breathing space proved vital as Twilight steadied herself and checked herself over. Although she didn't have time to figure out her exact injuries, it now hurt to breathe and her wing stung where it had been hit. On top of that, she was still conducting energy from the failsafes after the explosion, causing her body to start overheating again. There wasn't time to come up with a proper strategy though, she could see the light of Tantabus' magic headed toward her again. Nothing to do, but let it all out.

Twilight braced herself, levelled her horn and fired. The beam erupted into blinding streak a full ten feet wide, ribbons of green, silver and red running through the deep purple. If possible, it seemed to be even bigger than the ones she had been casting against Tirek. Tantabus stopped a hundred feet away and snarled before firing a maximum strength beam of her own. Though smaller and weaker, it managed to barely hold out against Twilight's attack, only losing a few inches of ground per second. The two ponies remained locked in place, putting every last shred of themselves they could muster into this moment. They both knew something had to give, the only question was what it would be.

Sweat poured down Twilight's face as she kept pouring all the incoming magic into the beam. She could feel exactly how much this was playing havoc with the failsafe spells within the walls. They were draining at an alarming rate. Not enough to run out before Tantabus was overwhelmed, but enough that they surely wouldn't be able to keep up with the damage. She could actually see the carved stone floor cracking under her hooves from the sheer energy of her attack. This needed to end before the damage weakened a lekli's resting place. Her ears twitched as she picked up something over the thundering roar of her magic, coupled with Tantabus' spell losing ground faster. A growl from her opponent, her voice magically enhanced to be picked up from this distance. It didn't sound like Tantabus though, lacking that cold, snide tone. It sounded more like-

"Enough!" Sunset Shimmer's voice rang out. At the exact same moment, Tantabus' spell failed completely. Twilight realised with dawning shock that Sunset had wrestled back control while Tantabus was completely preoccupied...And she was taking the full, unrestrained force of an alicorn's magic!

She cut the spell instantly, eyes widening as it finished tearing through everything in its path. The space her spell had passed through had been completely immolated, the stone itself scorched, cracked and partially melted in places. A number of glowing and burning sections bathed the chamber in an ominous orange light. Stood in the center of the path, exactly where she had been stopped before, was Sunset Shimmer. Her eyes told it all: She was herself again. She was still except for her breathing, a satisfied grin on her face. Her body was a mess though. Almost all her fur was singed short, visible burns were scattered across her body and many of her old wounds had reopened, leaving her chest and head covered in blood. Even as Twilight watched, she slumped forward as her front legs gave out before collapsing fully.

Twilight gasped and teleported the gap to reach the stricken unicorn. Sunset was still conscious, but she was tensed up and her breathing was quickly growing ragged. The smile was still on her face as she looked up at Twilight, though it was more strained than before.

"Tell me...Tell me you know how to remove her," Sunset said through gritted teeth, waiting only for Twilight to nod in reply. "Do it!"

Twilight only need a moment to push through her regrets before straightening up. There was no hesitation anymore, just the entire reason behind her part in this crisis. Her horn glowed brightly as several tendrils of magic drifted out of it and wrapped themselves around Sunset's body, concentrating over her heart. Sunset remained calm as she watched them spread around though, though she grimaced as the magic constricted her slightly. Twilight couldn't offer her any sympathy at the second though. Every last speck of her attention was put into the spell, unravelling the grip Tantabus had taken at the smallest level conceivable. Nothing could be left behind. The purple strands of magic glowed orange, then deep blue, flashing between the three at a steady pace.

After half a minute it turned to a solid blue, flashes of ethereal pink running throughout. Twilight lifted her head back and the tendrils slowly retracted, Sunset slumping over as they left her body. They rose up into the air and curled around each other like a mass of snakes, writhing and contorting until they emanated a flash of light. When it faded they had fused into one, a perfect sphere held tight in the grip of Twilight's magic, pulsing angrily. Then it glowed again before vanishing entirely. Twilight could feel it through the spell she had created. It was next to the anchor she had cast into Princess Luna. Both parts of the spell momentarily became far stronger, before fading away. Finally, she allowed herself to smile.

It was done. Luna and Tantabus had been reunited. That just left...

"Sunset..." Twilight said as she crouched down to check on the unicorn, gently cradling her head under her hooves. She had gone pale from blood loss and was staring up with distressed eyes. "I'm sorry I did that to you..."

"You had to," Sunset replied, speaking slowly through heavy breaths. "Thank you...Thank you, Twilight."

"It's okay. Just stay still, I'm going to get you out of here and then-"

"No..." Sunset reached out and placed a bloodied hoof against Twilight's leg. "Twilight. Did...Did Fluttershy make it?"

It took a moment for Twilight to realise what she was really asking. Their duel when she had worn the Alicorn Amulet. The crushing emotions when she had been freed from her lekli and realised the damage she'd done. Her anguished cry when she truly believed she had killed Fluttershy. Sunset had been a lot like her during the brief period they had spent as mentor and student. It was likely she was feeling the same way. Only magnified dozens of times, over everypony Tantabus had killed. Hundreds even. She may have been little more than a hostage during that time, but Twilight knew that she would be blaming herself for not resisting more. The least she could have right now was this little bit of comfort.

"Yes. Thanks to Discord, she did."

"Good...I'm glad you can rest easy on that," Sunset said quietly, pausing before breaking into a coughing fit, spraying the burned rock by her head with blood. "Me though...I'd just be walking the streets, where ponies died because of what this body did. Facing the judging eyes of those who saw Tantabus...Looking my mother in the eyes and trying to tell her I'll be alright, when my moment of weakness got my father killed. How long would I be able to live like that? How long before those demons became too much to bear? Until one reminder too many pushed me over the edge?"

As Twilight blinked, she realised her eyes had grown damp as she'd listened. She wanted to believe it wasn't so. That Starlight Glimmer had been in a similar situation and she had been able to come back from that dark place. It wasn't the same though. For all her crimes, Starlight had never actually killed anypony, and she had never had the look in her eyes that Sunset had when she looked up at her now. Empty, haunted, the life within them slowly fading. She would bleed out in minutes at this rate, yet saving her would doom her to a waking death. Twilight lowered her head and slowly wiped away the blood on Sunset's face, her tears falling to mingle with the blood on the ground. She had already condemned one pony to living their own personal hell in her lifetime, she couldn't bear to make another suffer like that.

"What...What should I do?" She finally asked, fearful of the answer she would receive. Sunset managed a small smile as she lowered her hoof back to the floor.

"Just walk away. Don't look back, and tell the princesses the truth. That I succumbed to my wounds, but that I did so as Sunset Shimmer. Tell...Tell Princess Luna that I'm sorry, for the pain my mistake caused her. And thank Princess Celestia, for all she ever did for me. And then...For me, Twilight, remain the Princess of Friendship. Help all those who suffered because of me to find a reason to smile again."

"I..." Twilight was unable to hold back a shuddering sob as she inhaled. "I'll try."

"Thank you...And all your friends, for saving me from myself."

Sunset smiled more before relaxing her body, eyes going half lidded as she started to fade into unconsciousness. Even if she was brought to a hospital now, she was likely too far gone to be revived. Twilight remained in place for several seconds, letting her grief and regret flow through her and out through her tears. As she gently lay Sunset's head down and stood up, the chamber began to glow silver again. Seemingly a delayed reaction from the weakened failsafes.

Then the glow began to condense around the floor and ceiling around Sunset. Twilight had just enough time for the horrified realisation to set in before the light engulfed the unicorn, sending out a shockwave that threw her off her hooves.

In the intensity of the moment, she'd forgotten about Caligo.

Twilight managed to land on her hooves, fighting back the pain in her chest as she watched the energy smothering Sunset. It had quickly condensed into a sphere that was lifting off the ground, sounds from inside indicating that the unicorn was coming round enough to realise what was happening. She fired in desperation, only for the sphere to shrug off the incoming magic like it was nothing. The sinking feeling in her heart at allowing this to happen only magnified when she realised the full scale of her blunder.

She'd left a pony without a lekli, in the middle of a tomb full of them.

"Twilight?" Sunset called, panic clear in her weakened voice. "Wh-what is this?! Why am-"

Anything she had left to say was lost as she screamed. A scream of pure, harrowing agony that echoed throughout the chamber. Twilight shied away and pressed her ears back against her skull, knowing already that that sound would haunt her for the rest of her life. Then the other sounds followed. Bones shifting and cracking, flesh and skin being stretched beyond its natural limits, a body undergoing a forced metamorphosis. The most jarring sound of all, above even that, was the way the scream changed over several long seconds. Shifting from Sunset's tortured cry to a more masculine roar of triumph. It wasn't the sound itself that was getting to Twilight. It was what it signified.

After several seconds the sounds died off and streaks of orange began to run across the sphere. Then it collapsed into silver shine that filled the whole chamber, forcing Twilight to briefly shield her eyes. When she looked again, her jaw dropped and her heart stopped.

Standing where Sunset had lay before, was a full fledged alicorn. Amber coated as she had been, its mane flowing down along its back like Celestia and Luna's did, the crimson and yellow colours drifting through it like a living mist. It stood nine feet tall and had a clearly male physique. The transformation had clearly had an adverse effect on Sunset's body however. While the former injuries had been healed completely, most of its skin was stretched thin and there were a number of raw, open wounds across it where there simply hadn't been enough to cover it all. The whole look created the impression of an alicorn zombie, one Twilight felt sick just looking at.

The image was completed as its eyes snapped open, their former cyan pupils replaced by cold silver ones.

Aurora broke into a run before he'd even finished teleporting. The canyon leading to the Tree of Harmony was quiet and empty, but with dusk rapidly falling it was getting dark as well. A flutter of wings behind him confirmed Deep Note was right on his tail. Part of him still wondered why he'd agreed to this, but he stood by the decision to do so. Deep was understandably stressed at his marefriend putting herself in harm's way like this, and he was worried about her too.

"Seriously, I appreciate this a ton." Deep told him in a hushed voice as they came up to the cave entrance.

"Just remember. Any trouble, and we're pulling back," Aurora told him before feeling out through his magic. Going in, he hadn't been sure exactly how many ponies he was going to sense. The actual result still caught him slightly off guard.

Just two. One behind him, and one inside, faint and fluctuating every few seconds. The sensations he was picking up were indecipherable, too mixed and too quick for him to read. He motioned for Deep to follow him and moved right up to the entrance before looking in. The sight made him pause in shock, while Deep sounded like he was trying not to retch when he did the same.

The cave of harmony was carrying a number of battle scars. Sections of the walls and floor were scored by magic hits, rocks that had been torn away scattered across the area. Blood was also spread across the far end of the cave, both drips that led across the floor space and sprays as if thrown from blows. Mercifully, the Tree of Harmony itself appeared to be unscathed, though a thin haze of white magic was seeping from the spaces where the elements usually rested. They were gathered on the trunk and running down to the pony lying at its roots, wrapping them in a faint glow.. Even at this distance, they could both see Applejack was in a bad way. Aurora only waited long enough to be sure the chamber was empty before dashing toward her, Deep actually beating him there.

"AJ!" Deep cried as he reached her, checking her over quickly. Her hind right and front left legs were broken, the latter almost completely twisted the wrong way. Her left side bore the burns of a near direct hit from magic. She was bleeding from her nose and mouth and her muzzle looked like it might be broken. On top of the dozens of bruises and cuts along her neck and body, it was a minor miracle she was still breathing.

"Bloody Tartarus..." Aurora said quietly as he got a look up close. "What the...?"

As he tried to feel her condition through his magic, he realised that the vitals he was able to sense were effectively frozen. As if the magic surrounding her was keeping her held in some kind of stasis. It seemed Harmony itself was doing its best to keep her alive, like it knew somepony would come for her. Aurora only wondered how it was able to do that for a few moments before deciding it was a question for later.

"It's ok hun, just keep listening to me. I'm here for you." Deep was telling her, crouching down next to her head.

"Deep, stick by her side," Aurora told him as he moved back to them. "She'll make it, but only if we can get her out of here now. We'll take her to Canterlot, get her medical help, and tell the Princesses what happened. Okay?"

"Okay...What about Twilight though?"

Aurora quickly looked around the cave again. If the Tomb of the Gods had been here, it was long gone. Twilight with it.

"There's not much we can do to help her from here. Besides, she knows what she's doing."

The tree's magic slowly retracted away from Applejack, letting Aurora waste no time in making sure the other two were right next to him. As he teleported the three of them back out to safety, he could only hope that he was telling the truth.

"How long has it been since I've been like this?" The alicorn asked himself with that same male voice, Twilight realising it was Caligo's real voice. It was surprisingly soft, almost what she'd expect a stallion version of Cadance to sound like. "Oh, that's a weird tongue. Going to have to get used to that."

"Wh..." Twilight started, trying to comprehend just what had happened. Just what she had wrought. She was able to keep a handle on herself this time, but little else. She just remained rooted in place as Caligo turned his gaze to her.

"Ah. Twilight Sparkle, yes?" He asked. His voice was surprisingly casual and he flashed her a genuinely warm smile. "I really can't thank you enough for just offering me this body to jump into. Honestly, if it wasn't for our previous meeting I'd have happily let you go in thanks!"

Twilight just stared at him in shock, focusing on getting herself under control. A sudden thought forced itself to the front of her mind and she spoke before she could stop herself.

"Sunset...Is she...?"

"Hmmm? Oh, the original body," Caligo mused, talking as though he were discussing his plans for the day instead of a pony's fate. "Well with how weakened she was, and her not having a lekli to take the worst of it, it was a simple matter for me to just overwhelm and eradicate her consciousness. No making the same mistake Tantabus did by leaving her lingering. Don't give me that look, it was for the best. The terror I was picking up from her in those last moments was right on the cusp of madness."

Twilight's jaw dropped, both at the confirmation that Sunset was completely gone and the sheer callousness of how he had broken it to her. She knew she shouldn't have expected any better from an ancient alicorn that already disapproved of her though, of one that probably saw her as a stroppy foal at best. That fact helped keep her emotions in check, directing them toward him rather than crushing herself under their weight again.

"As for what happens now. Well, that's a little less positive," He continued, slowly pacing to get a feel for his new body. "I'm sure the world above has become beautiful again after all these years, and I do feel bad that it'll be marred when I deal with the inevitable resistance. But few things come without sacrifice, and the alicorn empire must survive. Even if it's just me and a few of the others in here lording over the 'ascended', we can work that out in time. Vaeac and Nezzari will understand, or made to understand, before they're both executed for treason."

Something clicked in Twilight's brain. Suddenly all the hesitation, the shock, the crippling fear that was pinning her in place. All of that was burned away in the face of newfound resolve. Even if Tantabus had been safely returned, Celestia and Luna were likely in no shape to fight right now. Especially if her suspicion was correct, that Caligo had forcefully transformed Sunset's body into that of a full blooded alicorn. Tantabus had merely been using her unicorn strength to the absolute best of her ability. He would be immeasurably more powerful, quite possibly more so than Celestia herself. He'd already made his intent for her clear, so she would have to stand against him as best she could. She still had her link to the tomb's magic at least, possibly the only advantage she had left. It would have to be enough.

"And what about me?" She asked, stepping forward as her magic surrounded her horn. Caligo paused and looked back at her, his expression a mix of dismissal and irritation.

"Did you not hear me before? Aside from already making it clear that you would never go along with the rightful order, you've stolen quite a lot of magic and damaged my home! Obviously I can't just make it quick."

"Well, I can't run from here then. I'll just have to end your war before it begins."

Caligo laughed at Twilight's words, never taking his eyes off her. A wry, disbelieving laugh.

"This? This is not war. This is pest control!"

His wings flared open to their full span as he fired, his magic the same silver as his eyes. The beam came much faster than Twilight anticipated, barely able to push herself out of its way in time. Her hooves had barely come back to the floor before she fired back, pouring as much strength as she dared into her attack. Caligo's follow up intercepted it in mid-air, the two clashing before his punched straight through hers. Twilight managed to teleport out of the way, only to be met with a face full of fur. Before she could respond, a hoof struck firmly against her sternum, making the pain in her chest spike hard enough to make her see white. She grunted and let the blow carry her backward, giving her some breathing space.

The realisation that she'd have to fight beyond even what she considered limitless hurt her far more.

She teleported again after a few feet, twisting her head back as the spell ended. As expected, Caligo was teleporting to try and intercept her landing. The fact he could use magic so quickly and efficiently meant she would have to fight smarter, not harder. As soon as her back hooves touched the floor she teleported again, reappearing just behind him. Even he wasn't quick enough to move as she fired at close range, catching him just above his right wing. Caligo yelped and bucked at her in response, though she managed to duck the attack, before teleporting out of sight. Twilight took the moment to regroup and steady herself, trying not to let the pain get to her. Her heavier breathing didn't help at all, almost feeling like one of her ribs had been pressed back against her lung.

Caligo was completely out of sight, either hiding down one of the dozens of side passages leading to the actual tombs or even retreated back into the walls. Twilight had no idea where he'd reappear for certain, except for possibly stopping her if she tried to leave. He probably would have planned for that though, set up a contingency plan if she tried it, and they both knew it. She did have a potential way of finding out. She focused her magic back into her connection to the tomb, feeling through all the strands it had touched. At this point she could sense everything except the slumbering lekli themselves. Nothing suggested that he had hidden himself there again, meaning wherever he had fled to, he was physically present.

Twilight grinned as she realised she had a way to bait him out. She glanced down at her still glowing hooves, feeling the heat radiating into them from the floor. The tomb's failsafes were still desperately trying to repair the extensive damage, and she was still part of the loop. It wouldn't be anywhere near as strong as it had been against Tantabus, but Caligo's pride in his home would make up the difference.

A fresh beam surged from her horn, tearing into one of the pillars nearby. Although it didn't go clean through, roughly two-thirds was burned clean away. Moments later a thunderous cry erupted from one of the passages on the other side of the chamber. Twilight saw the glow of his magic before she saw him, charging toward her at a thunderous pace. Even as she turned to face him he unleashed his magic toward her. She fired a full strength beam back and charged after it, bringing a shield up to protect herself from running into the spell. The impact kicked up a huge cloud of smoke and dust that she rushed into without hesitation. Her senses went into overdrive as she saw Caligo lashing out toward her, barely restrained fury on his face. She barely had time to follow through with her next move.

Twilight twisted her body as much as she could as the hoof came for her, practically flipping onto her back as she passed under it. She could see him turning his horn toward her and did the same, charging up for a basic blast before he could do the same. The two launched their attacks at the same time, as if mirroring the same clash she had had against Tantabus earlier. The resultant force was even greater, throwing them toward opposite ends of the chamber at breakneck speed. Twilight gritted her teeth as she slammed against the floor, grinding on the injured part of her back for at least a dozen feet. She managed to lift herself up into a hover on the bounce, only to freeze as a silver aura gripped her tightly. Caligo was already back on his hooves and advancing toward her menacingly. He immediately broke into a run and teleported to cover the gap, horn glowing brightly as he levelled it at her. At this speed, he could easily impale her.

With no time to bring up a proper defence, she brought her hooves up and put the force of her magic behind them, hoping it would be enough as the grip on her faded. His horn barely passed through the gap between them and over her left shoulder. Her front hooves pressed against his forehead while her rear ones struggled for grip, the impact breaking through the hold he had on her. She could feel herself being driven backward by the force of his charge, her forelegs burning from the energy of two sets of magic pressing against them from both sides. His front hooves were fighting to grapple against her, having a longer reach than hers. Before she could do anything against it he got a grip around her left wing. As soon as his hold was secure he stopped in place.

Twilight barely bit back a cry as her body was thrown a complete hundred and eighty degrees, wrenching her forelegs out of their defensive positions, burning her left hoof against Caligo's horn and twisting her wing until a fresh surge of pain lanced through her back. She already knew he'd dislocated it at best and lashed out on instinct, firing an uncontrolled surge of magic directly into his chest. The stallion snarled as he was forced to release his hold and back off, putting a shield in front of him while she stabilised herself and returned fire. Even as she stood there, simply attempting to keep him at a distance, her gaze went back to survey the damage. Her wing was hanging limply at her side, impossible to use at this point. Despite her vision starting to go hazy from the pain she kept firing, desperately trying to think of an alternate way out of this.

A few moments later she heard Caligo snarl and his shield suddenly shot forward, completely overpowering her beam. She teleported out of the way, reappearing behind him and turning to press the attack. He had turned in anticipation and was bearing down on her already. Twilight tried to duck to the side, expecting another hoof to be thrown at her. Instead he lunged forward and clamped his teeth down around her right shoulder, biting in hard. Twilight screamed as she felt him draw blood before being pulled upward, still in his grasp. Even as she was launched back toward the floor, a tiny part of her analytical mind couldn't help but marvel at the strength of an alicorn's neck muscles to perform something like that. Then she was slammed back against the scorched rock. Her right wing had been slightly flared out in surprise and the angle she came in at bent it the wrong way. With the speed and force of the landing, she felt the bone give out before her body had even hit the ground.

Twilight almost blacked out from the pain as she came down heavily on her now broken wing. Her whole body was in agony and she could hear Caligo still coming for her. In a moment of panic she angled her head toward where his noise was coming from and fired a sweeping beam without thinking. She didn't expect it to work, not after everything else that had gone wrong through her impulse decisions. The follow up attack never came though, despite his continued noise and fury. She cracked an eye open to see he was stepping backward, clutching the left side of his face. Her desperation attack had actually managed to catch him right in the eye.

"You insolent quim!" Caligo snapped, stomping at the floor as he tried to deal with his own pain. Twilight's blood was dripping from his mouth and his chest and side were sporting burns as well. "Disrespecting my home, body and legacy! I'll-"

Twilight wasn't listening as she slowly got back to her hooves. Some of her blood was dripping to the floor from her wounded shoulder, as well as another clear liquid. Her mind was so shaken from fighting to survive that it took her a minute to realise what it was. Her tears. Not because of the indescribable pain she was undergoing, but because the moment of clarity was letting realisation set in...

She couldn't win, not in any conventional manner.

There was only one chance left for her to end this in a way that stopped Caligo from killing her, escaping into Equestria and destroying everything. She couldn't run or fight in her condition. That just meant she had to use her secret plan. A third spell she had come up with while preparing for this showdown. Nopony else, not even the princesses, were aware that this spell existed. None of them would have approved, though some suspected what it would involve already. She didn't have a choice anymore though.

Twilight steeled herself as she placed all four hooves firmly on the ground, just about holding her wounded muscles in place. She knew she looked completely worse for wear. Her left wing was still hanging uselessly and her right was pressed upward, two-thirds of it perpendicular to where it should be. Combined with all the scuffs, bruises, cuts and burns she'd picked up, even she was surprised that she was still conscious. None of that mattered anymore though. All that mattered was activating her spell before Caligo could attack her again.

Her horn glowed as it had before, the same white tendrils quickly reaching to her hooves and up to the ceiling. Her weakened magic quickly recovered as she felt her connection to the tomb being firmly re-established. While they had been fighting, her magic had filtered further into the already established spells. While the failsafes had been largely depleted due to the intensity of the fighting, all the others were still strong. She could touch everything short of the lekli themselves, and that was just how she wanted it. The tendrils momentarily glowed brighter as she cast her secret spell. Now all she needed was a little extra power to set them off...Assuming it worked as intended. If it didn't...Chances were she would be too dead to notice or regret it. She had every confidence in her success though.

"I don't know what you're trying to achieve with this posturing," Caligo said to Twilight as he advanced on her again. His anger had subsided and he now had an air of more restrained frustration. "But haven't you realised the futility of resisting a true alicorn yet?"

"It's not posturing," Twilight countered, glancing at his eye. She'd only nicked it, but it was still bloodshot and he was also sporting a long burn up from his jawline to just above it. "It's protecting those that mean the most to me!"

"Well, I have to protect that which means most to me too. Guess we'll find out who's matters more. I'll tell Vaeac to say hello when she joins you, wherever you both end up."

Caligo's lip curled and he fired on Twilight. She had no way of evading in her current condition. It was all or nothing now. The beam struck her square in the chest, yet she felt no pain. Even as his unrestrained magic lashed and flared against her, she simply gave a weak smile to herself. Her magic shifted between white, silver and purple as it flowed along the tendrils, finally having an effect as the colours rushed into the point over her chest. She felt a sudden burst of energy that hit with the force of a train and her magic reserves skyrocketed, telling her all she needed to know.

She had won.

The points where her magic touched the floor and ceiling began to shine a brilliant white that spread outward quickly. This was her secret weapon. Her experiences against Tirek had shown her the method behind magic absorption. Now she had created the spell for a pony to safely perform it, and the magic of a true alicorn to power it. Her magic had touched upon all the magic within the tomb, allowing it to be drawn unto her. Although she hadn't woken them, her proximity to the lekli and their inherent magical nature meant she would be able to take them in as the spell grew stronger. She would effectively become a black hole for magic, drawing in all within the tomb and erasing it from existence. The thought was...Incredibly bittersweet, due to the reason she had been reluctant to use such a spell. Why she had been unable to make an outright promise to Sunset.

The process of gathering all that magic to be safely dissipated meant the spot she was standing in would effectively contain the magic of several dozen alicorns, every one at least as powerful as Princess Luna. If she simply cut the spell and left once the tomb was absorbed, it would be unrestrained, volatile. One imbalance from within it could set off a reaction of uncontrolled magic that may well reduce a currently unknown area of Equestria to the same state as the Badlands. There was no way of knowing exactly where the tomb was either, meaning nowhere was safe at present. The only way she could be sure the magic, and the lekli, would be removed, was to remain in place. To stay in control of the spell until it had taken in every inch of the Tomb of the Gods, and to make sure that every last trace was safely removed from the world.

Even if that meant it took her with it.

Twilight watched as the spreading light engulfed Caligo, who had remained in place upon realising he'd been outplayed. His expression was back to its usual calm and the look in his eyes carried a hint of genuine respect for her guile. Then it was gone, first as he became too bright to see, then as she sensed him being taken in by the spell, reduced to essence around her. Everything around her became the piercing light, forcing her to shut her eyes. She didn't need them anymore though. She could feel the spreading magic, washing over everything within the tomb, ensuring nothing of this last relic of the alicorn empire would remain. When it reached the very edge she halted its progress, more than powerful enough to do so now. Not even an atom beyond these walls had been harmed.

Silently, without hesitation, she cast the final piece. She could feel the world around her began to close in rapidly, hear the confusion in the waking lekli as they arose to this. This was her last chance to run, but she couldn't take the risk. She was scared, undeniably so, but only because the unknown had always remained just out of her reach. Now it would be all she knew. She had her memories though. Of her family, her friends, everypony who had ever played a part in her life. Who had made her time in this world worth living. And she had faith, that they would be able to continue on, to keep spreading friendship and harmony through Equestria, that they would remember her too...

That comfort was all she needed to steel herself and face whatever was coming. Something in her heart told her, this wasn't truly goodbye.

Twilight Sparkle smiled to herself as the world around her vanished.

Chapter 38 - The Other Side of Sacrifice

A faint breeze brushed against Luna's ears as she stood on the balcony, staring out with a singular focus. She paid it no mind, nor did she give any attention to the sunset her sister was starting to bring over Equestria. Her gaze was set to the west, on an area far beyond her sight right now. She could still sense it though, even with her crippled magic capability. Nestled somewhere within the Smokey Mountains, the Tomb of the Gods currently lay. It had been roughly a minute since it had last moved locations, after several minutes of bouncing around every corner of Equestria. She knew just what it signified, but she had every faith in Twilight's ability to overcome the impossible.

It was somewhat ironic. She was facing the very real possibility that she would be resigned to her fate soon, along with who knew how many others if Tantabus was victorious. Yet, out of all the ponies that knew of this, she was still the calmest among them. Maybe it was due to her weakness and the feeling she had little left to lose. Maybe it was duty, shouldering the burden of stoicism after her sister had needed to for so long. Or maybe, she was doing what she always did and not stressing over things beyond her control. If anything, death would just be like another stint imprisoned in the moon, only without being aware. At least, she hoped so.

She shivered slightly as the cold began to set in, the setting sun taking its warmth with it. Normally she was used to the cold, as her duties took her far beyond the reach of Celestia's light. That resilience seemed to have gone with her strength though, along with many other things. She took a last look out at the view, watching as the sunset left a pink glow in the sky, before turning and heading back inside.

"Twilight. Whatever's happening, good luck." She quietly said, taking a slow, sad breath.

As she stepped back into the throne room, Luna looked round at all the spaces that had been damaged in Tantabus' first moments of freedom. Canterlot's finest builders and artisans had been putting their all into undoing the damage and by now there was almost no trace that it had ever happened to begin with. Even the stained glass windows had been masterfully recreated and fitted, some arguably better than the originals. Her gaze halted on the one created to commemorate Nightmare Moon's defeat and her return to Equestria. Ironically, it was one of those that had been undamaged in the chaos. Thinking about that point now brought an extra measure of comfort to her. Tantabus had been beaten before, she had a gut feeling it was going to happen again.

With nothing else to distract her she stepped up to her throne and settled onto it, leaning back. Celestia preferred her to wait here when they had to be separate for a while and she was willing to oblige, if just to put her sister's mind at ease. Before she'd even had time to rest her head against it though, her attention was drawn to the main doors to the throne room being opened.

"I'm afraid that the-" Luna started, only to pause as she saw the ponies coming in. Twilight's group had diverted from coming with her to the throne room after Aurora and Deep Note had vanished. She had used to the time to try and get a feel for how Twilight was doing, without success.

"Sorry for the delay, your highness," Peace Walker replied as she pushed the doors open fully. "We couldn't find either of them around in the castle. But we did find a few other welcome faces instead."

Luna raised an eyebrow as she took in the full set of ponies heading in. Somehow, she wasn't surprised at all to see that the first one in after Peace was Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was still bandaged up but seemed to be moving without notable pain. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were right behind her, all three of them. Scootaloo actually looked no worse for wear beyond her eyepatch. Fluttershy was still somewhat shaky on her hooves, Spike sticking by her side for support as they brought up the rear.

"I'm, glad to see you all up and moving." The princess said as she rose again and moved down to the main floor.

"Yeah, the doctors weren't as impressed," Spike admitted, grinning sheepishly. "Apparently they actually tried to convince Celestia and Rainbow that she needed to stay in bed. She's just smoothing things over before joining us."

"Hey, we needed to be here," Rainbow countered. "Not just to give the two of you support, but to welcome Twi back once she's won."

Spike grimaced slightly at her words, though Luna was the only one who saw it and she knew better than to call it out. Fluttershy stepped forward and gently nudged Apple Bloom's leg, motioning to her bandaged throat. Clearly she still felt it better to limit what she said and not risk further injury, a point the earth mare picked up on quickly.

"So, um, how're we doing here?" Bloom asked.

"As well as can be hoped," Luna replied, her smile widening slightly. "My sister will return soon and then we can decide what the best course of action shall be."

As the others voiced their approval, she let her attention wander for a few moments. Part of her wondered exactly where Aurora and Deep Note were. It wasn't like either of them to choose to skip something as important as this. Before she could put too much thought into it or ask anypony else, a throbbing sensation erupted in her mind, like a supersized migrane. She had felt it before, in her old nightmares where she had let Nightmare Moon take over. Tantabus was feeling something strong, something negative. In these circumstances, there was only one likely cause for that.

A sudden flash of light filled the throne room, forcing everypony to shield their eyes. Luna was the first to see through the glare, eyes widening slightly as she saw what it was. A sphere of magical energy, a solid blue colour with a faint pink running across it. It was pulsing rapidly and felt like its mere presence spread a chill into the air. At the same time though, it had a familiar, almost comforting feeling to it. Like she was seeing an old friend that knew her better than she knew herself. The last time she had seen it from this angle had been in her dreams, in the form of a spectral alicorn many years ago. She would just have to do the same as she had back then.

She relaxed her body and raised her head, feeling the sphere press against her chest and be absorbed into her very being. That cold flooded her body, yet she had never felt better about it than she had now.

Twilight had succeeded. Tantabus was back where she belonged.

"We probably should have come here first." Aurora commented as he and Deep headed through the hallways of Canterlot Castle. Applejack was in good hooves now, the rest being down to them. All the two of them could do was let the others know what had happened. None of them were in the room they had been before. If they were going to be anywhere else in the castle, it would be the throne room.

"Yeah, yeah we should..." Deep replied, sounding distracted as he lagged behind slightly. Aurora knew how hard the situation in the cave had been on him, but there was something more to it. There was fear deep down inside him, fear that what he had heard was wrong.

"Deep, a moment," He said, swinging round and placing his front hooves on the pegasus' shoulders. It was enough to snap him out of his funk and put his focus on the unicorn. "The doctors meant every word. The Tree of Harmony may have kept her going until we got there, but its because of us, because of you, that Applejack is NOT going to die. Soon as we're done here, we'll go back and see how she's doing. Okay?"

Deep shut his eyes and took a deep inhale, running those words through his mind. After a few moments he nodded and looked back at Aurora with a small smile.

"Okay, thanks. You know, you've been like a mini-Twilight to those of us who joined in this whole thing. Helping wherever you can and showing us we can keep going. Thanks for that as well."

"No problem," Aurora replied as they started moving again, buoyed up by the kind words. "You've been helping too you know, in smaller but no less important ways."

"Same as Peace Walker has been. I think that she deserves a bit-"

Deep was cut off by the sound of something coming from somewhere ahead of them. A massive outpouring of energy. The duo glanced at each other and took off at a gallop, each realising it was coming from the throne room. Both had the same thought in mind: Whatever that was, it sounded like they weren't done just yet.

The doors were partly open as they approached. Aurora threw them open fully and skidded to a halt beside Spike, Deep taking to the air to get a look at what was happening. Even as they did so, Celestia teleported into the room in front of everypony, flaring her wings out to shield them. They had both seen what was happening though, enough to understand everypony else's looks of fear and caution.

Luna was being engulfed in a barrier of solid black magic. Creating a colossal whining sound and filling the room with a cold powerful enough to make everypony involuntarily shiver. Once the magic had fully enclosed her it began to glow orange, spinning around her rapidly. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had stepped forward beside Celestia, priming themselves for trouble while Spike moved to shield the others further. Aurora reached out through his sensory magic, seeing if he could pierce the darkness and reach Luna's feelings. He expected to feel quite a few things if he did it. Calmness was not one of them. She felt serene, happy, at greater peace than she'd looked at any point in the past few weeks. Of course, none of the others could tell that.

"Luna! Please don't..." Celestia begged, starting to tear up at the sight in front of her. She started to move forward, only to stop as a hoof thrust out in front of her leg.

"Wait!" Fluttershy told her, barely audible over the noise. Despite the damage to her throat, there was enough conviction in it to give the princess pause. "This is different. Look."

Celestia followed her gaze, her eyes widening slightly as she realised there were a set of eyes staring back at her through the magic. She'd clearly expected to see the cold, uncaring fury of Tantabus fixated upon her. Instead, they were still completely Luna's, their cyan glow filled with relief and warmth. Although she was still on edge, it was clear she didn't think there was any harm coming. She slowly relaxed her posture, bringing her wings back in. After a few seconds longer, the barrier burst out faster than anypony could follow. It passed harmlessly through everypony before dissipating against the walls, doing no damage to anything this time. Everypony still flinched from it, before pausing as they saw what it had revealed.

Hovering several feet off the ground, held in her own magic, was Princess Luna. The colour had returned to her coat, back to its natural deep, rich blue. Her mane and tail were flowing freely once again and there was a look of pure peace on her face. She was completely returned to normal. As the warmth returned to the room and everypony was able to see what had happened, they realised that wasn't entirely true. Her body had undergone a transformation upon being reconnected with Tantabus. Her physique was sleeker, her legs, mane and tail longer, horn extended and glowing with a radiance never seen from her before. She was physically identical to her sister now, close enough that they could be mistaken for twins at the least.

As everypony watched in amazement and disbelief, Luna lowered herself back to the floor and let her magic fade. If possible, she looked even more exhausted than she had before becoming whole again. Several wisps of her mane were flickering away from the main body as though unkempt and she could barely keep her eyes open. All the same, she managed to fix her look on everypony and give a weak, yet satisfied smile. That was all she needed for the others to know that it was okay. It was over.

Aurora realised his jaw had dropped at the sight. Even with everything he'd been though, everything his mother and aunt had taught him, something like this was beyond what he'd ever expected to encounter. He couldn't even begin to think about how to respond before Celestia took a step forward. Then she broke into a run, covering the gap in a heartbeat. In one fluid motion she wrapped her front hooves around Luna and pulled her into a tight hug, one that was immediately returned in kind.

"It's alright..." Luna said quietly, tears filling up her eyes as she held her sister close, stroking her back reassuringly. From the sounds of grateful tears coming from Celestia as she draped her head on the back of Luna's neck, she wasn't keeping her composure quite as well. "All is as it should be."

"I was so scared," Celestia replied, her voice choked with emotion as she kept holding on like her life depended on it. "I thought my efforts wouldn't be enough."

"They were more than enough. They're the only reason I'm still alive. All the magic you gave me...With my own magic at full strength again, I must be as powerful as you are. That might explain why I look the part now."

Celestia pulled her head back to look, tears still streaming down her cheeks. As they continued taking in what had happened, the others were slowly starting to come round from the shock. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had a mix of amazement and joy on their faces. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were looking among themselves, hardly daring to believe that it was really over. Deep still looked twitchy, but seemed like he was finding some comfort in the situation. Peace Walker was standing somewhat rigidly, a satisfied grin on her face as she nodded. Spike had reared up onto his legs to watch, looking as content as the others. Aurora could see the concern he was masking though, and he shared the same feeling.

Where was Twilight in all this?

"Speaking of all that magic." Luna finished, gently touching her horn to the base of Celestia's. Her magic gently came to life again, flowing up with its natural cobalt hue and shifting to light yellow as it crossed between the two of them.

For a minute the room was filled with the hum of magic as Luna returned all that her sister had given her. The flow was so strong that the princess of the sun actually started glowing slightly as her energy was returned to her, all her drained power being restored. The look on her face was so joyous, yet everypony knew it could barely convey how she felt. Then it faded again as the transfer ended and Luna stepped backward, just about keeping on her hooves.

"It is done." Celestia told her happily as she helped Luna straighten up.

"Indeed, the only question that remains is if my magic is still potent."

Luna turned and headed back toward the balcony, the others following her. Aurora still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong though. Even if Twilight had been side-tracked by getting Sunset Shimmer medical aid, she should have been back by now. Even if it was just to let them knew that she was alright. The view outside did little to allay his fears. The extended dusk brought on by Celestia lowering the sun already had left a deep orange glow against the clouds. Normally it would be beautiful, tonight it was just ominous. A glance back showed that Spike was similarly ill at ease. At this point, it was taking some restraint not to rush out there and look for any sign of her. Even though he wouldn't know where to start.

Celestia looked down for a moment and stepped back, Spike joining her over by the thrones while the others remained focused on Luna. Aurora silently reasoned with himself that if they had any idea what was happening, they were best placed to do something about it. He sighed quietly and joined the others, watching as Luna stepped out fully and set her magic to work.

"Hey. You ok?" Sweetie Belle asked quietly as she looked back at him. He silently chided himself for being that obvious and shook his head slightly.

"Just, worried." He admitted. She flashed a look back toward Apple Bloom and Scootaloo before backing up to his side.

"About Twilight?" She asked, waiting for him to nod. "Me too...Applejack should be here too. It just doesn't feel right with them missing this."

"Ah, about that," He braced himself internally, trying to figure how to tell her what he and Deep had found. Both their attentions were suddenly drawn to a round of cheers from the ponies around them though. Luna had managed to raise the moon without trouble and everypony's spirits were even higher than before. He couldn't bring himself to ruin the moment. "I-I'll tell everypony soon."

Since nopony seemed to have caught onto their little discussion, they moved forward to join the others in congratulating Luna. The princess was taking some enjoyment in the moment and was making an over exaggerated bow to the group, flaring her wings out. It was hard to blame any of them for milking things a bit, considering how long it had felt since they'd had something to cheer about. Once it was done Luna went to each of them, thanking them personally for their help. The atmosphere was a lot more relaxed, more like it had been before all this started.

All the same, Aurora couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that there was one last twist in the tale.

"Everypony..." Celestia's voice came from back inside the throne room. Quiet and sombre "Can we talk to you?"

There it was.

He glanced back at the others as he headed inside, seeing the looks of curiosity and confusion on the faces of the others. It did nothing to ease his mood. Neither did the fact that Spike was sat leaning against the near wall, resting his head in one of his hands. Once they were all inside, Celestia closed all the doors with her magic and took a deep, shuddering breath. Her composure was wavering as well.

"I'm sorry to bring such news, especially at this moment," She told them, looking toward the stained glass window commemorating Nightmare Moon's defeat. "Spike and I went to see if we could find out what was happening. If Twilight was okay. By the time we got to the tomb though...There...There was nothing there. Nothing I could sense of it, or the ponies within, anywhere within Equestria. Nothing upon the continent. Unless it's on the far side of the world...The danger of the tomb, of the lekli...Is gone. Lost...And Twilight and Sunset with it."

He'd been there. He'd seen and felt it.

That didn't make it any easier to hear. Knowing would have been one thing, seeing the proof was another.

Spike felt the tears start coming as he slumped back further against the wall. He'd known Twilight for his entire life. She had been like a mother to him. A sister, mentor, friend...She had been a part of him. Some would simply say he loved her, but love was common. Their bond ran deeper than either of them understood. And just like that, she was gone.

His whole body shuddered as he fought back a sob, trying to keep his composure until he could be alone. He couldn't deny the grief, but he wouldn't let despair overwhelm him now. Not when he still had so much to look toward. The others would need his help finding a way past this, and he would be there to give it. Just like always.

This, this wasn't real. She had to be pulling some kind of cruel prank.

Twilight was dead? Every time she repeated it in her head it made even less sense. Since when did Twi ever fail? Any second now, she'd see a grin cracked or hear a teasing 'Gotcha! She's right here.'. She had to.

But they were still so convinced, and Princess Celestia didn't lie like that. But that would mean...

Rainbow Dash stared forward as she felt her whole body going numb. She simply didn't have a response to something like this. Everypony present was probably going through the exact same thing, and she didn't know what to do about it. There had been a lot that had hurt her in the past few weeks, but this was pure agony in her heart. It took her a few moments to realise she had sat down in shock, still staring, completely at a loss. All she could do was slowly look around, see how everypony else was reacting.

No. No no no no. This couldn't be real! Twilight had managed to bring herself back from much worse, even during the last few weeks. How could this happen now?

Fluttershy felt a raspy gasp escape her throat and her wings droop from her sides. Her chest felt like it was caught in a vice, trying and failing to contain the sudden rush of grief. Her vision blurred and she covered her eyes with a hoof, hoping nopony would notice the oncoming flood. There was no hope of keeping the encroaching sadness to herself though, when it was weighing down on her this heavily. She could feel somepony drape a wing over her and instinctually leaned into it, taking any comfort she could get. Suddenly she missed her family, wishing she could be home with them.

That just made it worse. Twilight was every bit a part of her family.

The realisation hit Sweetie Belle with the force of a meteor impact. Ever since the battle at the vault, she'd been mentally bracing herself for this moment. This feeling of losing another pony close to her. Yet, Twilight was the one she hadn't been prepared for. The two of them had spent many happy months of her childhood together, teaching her magic she could never have hoped to learn alone. With everything that had happened, part of her had hoped they would be able to study some more. Just something happy to relax with while putting Equestria back together. Now though...

She quietly whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut, a few sobs coming out as she tried to hide just how devastated she was. A firm leg wrapped around her shoulders and she glanced aside to see it was Apple Bloom's. She looked crestfallen but was trying her best to stay strong. Scootaloo was sitting on Bloom's other side, staring down at her hooves in disbelief, too shocked to respond. At least, that was the closest feeling that was visible from the internal conflict she was going through. Sweetie let herself lean into the hug Bloom was offering, holding onto her tight as the tears began to flow freely.

So that was it then. They hadn't made it though without any more losses. She knew she could have done more, even if her actions in the group may have helped a few other ponies past their inner demons.

Peace Walker watched as Deep Note took a deep breath and moved to support Fluttershy, doing his best to keep her from descending into a full breakdown. She wasn't taking it quite as badly as the others herself. There was no denying it hurt, but it was a numb pain compared to losing Bulwark. She lowered her head and placed a hoof over her heart, offering a silent prayer to the fallen. That Twilight found peace wherever she ended up, that Sunset was judged appropriately upon reaching the sacred isle, and that Tantabus suffered the worst torment imaginable while trapped again.

Then she heard a thud behind her.

He wanted to scream. To remove his emotions. To tear his heart out so he couldn't feel anymore.

But it wouldn't make any difference. Even without the ability to feel, he would never be without the pain of realising why Twilight had gone without him.

She had known the whole time. She had always seen it as a probable suicide mission. Her life for those of her friends and all Equestria. It was just...

Aurora's hooves gave out under him and he dropped to his knees, all restraint lost. His nose brushed the floor as he lowered his head and wept, grief-stricken and helpless. He couldn't see anything around him, couldn't hear the sadness of the others. He was trapped in his head with nothing but the knowledge that his aunt was gone. He had had the strength and position to do something, to keep her safe, and he had thrown it away.

He felt somepony touch his shoulder and instinctively pushed himself against them, bawling his eyes out as he buried his face in their chest and gripped against their torso. It was undignified, but anything was better than facing despair right now. The feeling of fur against his chest reminded him that he wasn't facing this alone.

It meant very little in the moment, but it would have to be enough.

"I should have...We-I-I-I-I...No..."

Luna didn't know how to respond to that. She could only watch as Aurora sat with his face buried in Peace Walker's chest, the mare doing her best to comfort him while pressed against her, his attempts at talking reduced to inelegant blubbering. Few of the others were doing much better, either working through their grief or supporting another in the same.

She couldn't deny how badly the news hurt her as well. Twilight was the main reason she was even here, on more than one occasion. There was so much she had still wanted to say to her. So many thanks she had needed to give. Now none of them would ever get the chance.

She bowed her head sadly and thought of all the interactions she had shared with Twilight. The good memories that were now all she had left. She could feel Celestia move to her side and looked up at her, too saddened to even by fazed by the fact they were at eye level. The tears in her eyes reflected against the ones in Luna's own. The two of them pressed closer and placed their heads on each other's shoulder in support, sharing the pain. Not just from their loss and how much they could feel everypony hurt, but from the question lingering in their minds. One they weren't sure how they were supposed to answer yet.

Where did they go from here?

Chapter 39 - Harmony Finds a Way

Ponyville
November 12th

For the first time in far too long, the morning air felt perfectly calm.

The sun had not yet been risen, but the view over Ponyville was once again one of peace. While the fear that had plagued the town since it had been attacked was far from dissipated, it no longer had a harsh edge to it. The feeling that it would never end. Now ponies would wake up to an Equestria that had been returned to its usual calm state, though so many were also unaware that it was an Equestria without Twilight. That single fact hurt Celestia more than anything. Many things about the past month hurt her. The number of ponies who had lost their lives. The potentially irreparable damage done to Equestria and the Crystal Empire. Even the knowledge that the alicorn race had effectively been condemned to extinction.

And yet, being unable to speak to her most faithful student one more time cut to her very core. The loss was a wound she was unsure would ever heal.

Celestia stood silently as she took in the view from the castle balcony, trying not to dwell on the thought. Although the town was still shrouded in the darkness just before the dawn, there was an extra sense of serenity. Thanks in large part to the special request she had put in to Ponyville's weather team the night before. The ground was coated in the first snow of winter, a light fall on going and helping lighten everything in sight. A small sign that some things had remained the same throughout all this, as Weather Lead Flitter had outdone herself to make sure that everything was ready. The weather pegasi had retired home now though, and no life stirred wherever Celestia looked.

She slowly opened her wings and spread them to their full width as her horn was surrounded by her magic aura. As the sun began to crest the horizon, its first rays quickly reflecting off the snow, all of Ponyville began to glow. The reflected light caught against lingering strips of metal, chunks of crystal not yet recovered, any bright surface that would take it in and send it onward. By the time the sun had cleared the ground, all of Ponyville was bathed in myriad colours, shining brightly and warmly, the glow visible for miles around. This was her final gift to Twilight. To make Ponyville a shining beacon once again. The view would remind others, and herself, that the core of friendship and harmony in Equestria remained intact. In time, the town itself would be rebuilt, every bit as harmonious as before, and reflect that feeling as well.

At least, she hoped it would.

Once the sun had settled into place in the sky, Celestia let her magic fade as she watched it. The traces of her magic would keep it moving throughout the day and then Luna would take over to lower it in the evening. For now, there was one last duty she had to oversee before she could fully commit to returning life to normal for everypony in Equestria.

She lifted off from the balcony and brought herself into a graceful landing in front of the steps of Twilight's castle. Everypony that had been gathered in the throne room last night was waiting for her there. They had had time to get their thoughts in order and come to terms with their loss as best they could. Some better than others.

Aurora was at the front, staring absent minded at the ground and looking like he'd attempted to freshen up after a long, sleepless night. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were behind him, their eyes still betraying their sadness but managing to remain composed, more focused on supporting the stallion in front of them. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were off to one side, keeping rather fixated on Celestia as she landed. Likely using any distraction to keep their minds off things. Peace Walker and Deep Note were on the other side, expressions unreadable, going through their own ways of coping. Luna and Spike were at the back, the latter's eyes shut as he took a few moments to keep himself together. He was also holding a familiar blue lockbox, gold trimmed and with a number of multi-coloured gems encrusted into its front.

"Sister. We are ready." Luna told Celestia as she stepped forward.

The others all nodded or voiced their agreement. Even Aurora was shaken out of his stupor by the sound and nodded quickly.

The two alicorns moved into the center of the group, making sure everyone was within range of their spells, before teleporting them out. As she was momentarily blinded by the flash of magic, Celestia wondered for a moment if something like this view was what had awaited Twilight. An eternal nothingness, filled with either light or dark. Even with her millennia of experience, knowing what lay in life after death still eluded her. At the same time, part of her felt that she might prefer not to know. Then the flash faded and she was back in reality.

Although she was prepared for the view, her heart still sank slightly at seeing it in the flesh. The cave was just as scarred as Deep had described, though the bloodstains that had apparently been scattered across the area had mysteriously vanished. It looked as though a pitched battle between a whole group of ponies had been waged here, rather than merely Applejack and Tantabus. Celestia silently gave more thanks to the earth mare and her unrelenting efforts. Though Applejack currently remained in critical condition, her sacrifices may well have bought Twilight the time she needed. The Tree of Harmony remained the one unaffected thing in the cave, standing proudly as ever. Its glow was slightly weaker than usual, almost imperceptibly so, but the fact it was undamaged brought her a measure of calm.

"Woah..." Scootaloo said quietly as they took in the sight. Quite a few of the others were similarly distracted by the state of the cave.

"Yeah. AJ put up a heck of a fight." Deep added, his voice a mix of pride and remorse.

"And her efforts will be honoured, as will all those who stood up and did their duty." Luna told him as she stepped forward, a faint smile on her face.

"Indeed. For all the parts you played, we cannot thank you enough," Celestia said to everypony as she joined her sister. "There is only one thing left to do before we can say this crisis is truly over."

She nodded to Spike, watching as everypony turned to him as he opened the lockbox. Settled inside, as they should have been when she opened it decades ago, sat the elements of harmony. Nopony had seen them since they had been moved into Twilight's care, the dragon the only one remaining that had known their location. The six precious artefacts looked as pristine as they had on the day they had been found, possibly more so without any of the jewellery they used to adorn. Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle gave an involuntary whimper at the sight. None of the others could blame them. Seeing Twilight's cutie mark after all this was hard on everypony.

Rainbow Dash was the first to move, sighing sadly as she lifted the element of loyalty up and held it close to her chest. Normally she could have just hovered and held it in her front hooves. It was clearly taking a lot for her not to look at her bandaged back again. The action stirred Fluttershy into moving though, reaching in and retrieving the element of kindness once Rainbow had stepped back. No sooner had she got a secure hold on it than everypony realised one last problem they were facing. Although the Tree of Harmony had proven in the past that it had no issues with who returned what element, the fact four element bearers were missing left the question of who would carry what.

After several seconds of looking among the ponies present, a silent agreement was reached.

Sweetie Belle stepped up to the lockbox and lifted the element of generosity up, slightly misty-eyed as she studied it. Apple Bloom stepped up to her side and placed a hoof on her shoulder, the unicorn leaning into the support for a few moments. Deep Note moved up on Bloom's other side, looking a little unsure. She looked over to him and gave a reassuring nod, silently telling him that he had just as much right to do this as anypony. He nodded back at her but still hesitated before picking up the element of honesty. With the other two done, Bloom bit her lip slightly as she gently brought the element of laughter up to her face. She gently touched her forehead against it before looking back. There was one pony left, one who hadn't moved at all in the time they'd been here.

"Hey, you okay?" Peace Walker asked as she stepped up next to Aurora. He was staring forward at the tree, blinking slowly. It took her a moment to realise that he was focused on the cutie marks upon its trunk. Staring at Twilight's.

"I...No." He admitted quietly, taking a shuddering breath. Despite everything he had been through in the past year, being forged into a future leader who knew just what it took, he suddenly looked fragile. Peace noticed a glint in his eyes, a sign of uncertainty. Of if he could let go.

"It's okay, Aurora. I get it. I can take this one if you'd prefer."

The glint vanished as he looked over to her.

"Thanks but, I need to face this. Make this farewell my own way. I owe it to her."

Aurora straightened up as Peace patted his shoulder before she turned and stepped up to the lockbox. He looked back to thank her properly, only to realise he had no idea what exactly he wanted to say. He instead shared a long, knowing look with Spike as she picked up the element of magic and brought it over to him. His expression was unreadable as he took it in his magic, bringing it up to eye level. But as he stared at it silently, there was a new look in his eyes. An air of closure.

"It's okay," Spike told him quietly as he closed the lockbox. "I know it'll feel weird, but I can't imagine Twi wanting anypony else to do this."

He nodded after several seconds and looked round at everypony else. They were all looking back at him, a mix of understanding and hesitance on their faces. Some of them still seemed to be struggling with the fact this was really happening. The thought was still a heavy weight upon him too. Celestia was right though. They needed to bring this whole sorry affair to an end, once and for all.

Aurora took a last moment to compose himself and walked toward the tree, those carrying elements at his side. This would be his way of truly saying goodbye, returning his aunt's element to its resting place. He slowly looked among the group and could tell they were thinking the same thing. Fluttershy and Deep gently took off and hovered near the branches, while the others raised theirs up toward the tree. He stared up at it for several moments, eyes twinkling from its reflections, before focusing on the element in his grasp.

"Well...I'll see you again one day, Twilight. This is for everypony..." He said quietly as he took the elements of loyalty, generosity and laughter in his magic as well. Part of him couldn't help but feel like he was stealing the thunder from the others, but none of them would be able to reach on their own.

The four elements slowly rose toward their positions, waiting as the last two were brought into place. Aurora looked up at the flyers and nodded, all of them placing the elements back into position at once. A soothing humming sound resonated throughout the cave as the tree locked its fruits back into place, glowing brighter with every passing moment. Everypony stepped back to watch as the tree started shining, its power restored. Wispy tendrils of white began to rise up from its roots and curled around its trunk, its magic growing stronger.

"Wow. That's, wow." Deep said as he watched in wonder.

"Err...Is it supposed to be doing that?" Rainbow asked Celestia warily, backing up further.

Now that she'd mentioned it, Aurora realised that nothing he'd heard about the Tree of Harmony matched what it was doing right now. A quick glance back showed that Celestia, Luna and Spike were similarly on edge, though none of them seemed actively concerned. As he looked back to it, the tendrils had spread out to each branch that carried an element. A sixth was spiralling around the element of magic in the center. Then each of the elements began shining brightly, the glow enveloping the whole tree. Before anypony could react, a beam of light shot out from the middle of the truck and struck Deep in the chest. Everypony recoiled and braced themselves for trouble, some last complication that they had overlooked. Then they realised that he was still hovering in place, seemingly unaffected by the beam.

"You okay!?" Apple Bloom called up to him.

"Yeah. It's actually kind of nice." Deep replied, though he was rather still in the hold of the tree's magic. He didn't look to be in any discomfort though, enough to make the others relax somewhat.

A second beam shot out moments later and hit Scootaloo, bathing her in the same glow. Three more followed in rapid succession, engulfing Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Peace Walker. Aurora had enough time to see that the beams were managing to avoid touching anypony else before a sixth came straight for him. As the world around him went white he could feel his hooves lifting off the ground slightly, the magic taking him in it's hold. All of a sudden he felt...Rejuvenated. It was difficult to find a better fitting word. While he didn't feel any different mentally, it was like all his physical needs had been filled at once. There was something more underneath it though. He could tell he was part of a conduit of magic, the power of Harmony itself filtering through him and back out again. The tree, the gift behind it, could feel his essence, and he could feel its.

To what end though?

After several seconds the glow faded and the world returned to normal, his hooves making solid contact with the ground. He had just enough time to see all six beams retract into the tree before the others did the same. Deep actually dropped out of the air, caught out by the sudden change, though Peace managed to catch him before he hit the floor.

"Are you all alright?" Celestia asked with concern as she and Luna moved between them. None of them looked any worse for wear though, and were quickly able to voice confirmation.

"Yeah. Possibly better than before." Peace commented as she let Deep get off her back, quickly trotting round him to double check.

"Though, just what in tarnation was that about?" Bloom asked in confusion, shaking her head slightly.

Before anypony could wonder further, a shocked gasp from Rainbow Dash drew their attention. She was pointing toward the tree, jaw dropped. It took only a moment to see why.

The Tree of Harmony had returned to its usual appearance, majestic and inspiring. The elements though...The resting place of loyalty no longer contained a red lightning bolt, but a bronze saw. For honesty, a gold clef sat in place of an orange apple. Kindness, a deep blue peace symbol had replaced the pink butterfly. Laughter saw the light blue balloon changed into a silver microphone. Generosity's purple diamond was now a lighter purple flight helmet. And the magenta star of magic had vanished. It took a moment to see against the crystalline trunk and shine of the tree, but in its place was a white, spectral outline of a pony. Though some of the colours were different, the six elements matched the cutie marks of six ponies in the cave.

Everypony stood transfixed at the sight, the silence hanging as though daring somepony to break it and speak what they were all thinking.

"...What?!" Sweetie Belle finally exclaimed, her voice cracking slightly.

"The bond between the elements and their bearers has been severed."

That voice, it sounded like...But, it couldn't be Twilight. It was resonating throughout the cave, stronger in front of them. Like it was coming from, the tree...

"There must remain six," It continued, everypony slowly stepping closer. "Six who are able to continue their work. Those touched by the elements. Those connected with past bearers. Those with a bond to each other. Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Honesty, Magic. Elements all. You must carry the light forward where it has dimmed. Weather the storm of hardships, and return the magic of friendship back to Equestria."

Each of the elements glowed momentarily as they were mentioned. They were all in the same positions as before their metamorphosis, making it easy to see which corresponded to what. Aurora silently followed the glows, looking toward the ponies with matching marks. If this was true, then the six new bearers of the elements were among them: Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Peace Walker, Deep Note, and himself. As the words of the tree faded, they all took several moments to let them sink in.

"....What!?!" Sweetie exclaimed again. The others were in a similar situation, their expressions either doubt, surprise or confusion.

"Wait...Touched by the elements," Peace commented, pacing slightly. "If it means that literally...But, Scootaloo didn't lay a hoof on them just now."

"Not now, but I did when we actually got them," Scootaloo countered, looking back at her with a raised eyebrow. "What about you? You don't exactly have the same bond with the others that was suggested."

"Umm..." Fluttershy quietly interjected. Though she was electing not to say anything fully, it drew their attention and silently made the point. Peace had helped her through one of the most traumatic moments of her life. She had usually been one of the first to support others in the group too, no matter their background or circumstance.

The more they all thought about it, the more they realised the connections were there. While why each of them was specifically which element eluded them, the rest was there. Each of them had been in physical or magical contact with the elements themselves. Their connections with those that had carried them previously were laid clear. Their connections to each other were a little less established, but Twilight and the others had barely been friends when they defeated Tantabus the first time. The parallels were not lost on them.

"It would seem that the Elements of Harmony have been trusted to good hooves." Luna said to Celestia, a gentle smile on her face.

"Indeed," Celestia replied, moving around with a warmer smile. "If the Tree of Harmony believes that you six are fit to be the Elements, then I have every faith that it is the right choice!"

As the words sunk in, Aurora looked down in disbelief. Not only had his error of judgement potentially cost Twilight her life, but now he was expected to fill her horseshoes? The prospect was enough to make his head spin, except for one detail he was able to keep in mind. He wouldn't be dealing with this alone. The other five were in the same boat, and Twilight had never been alone in this role. He steadied his breathing and shifted into his sensory magic, feeling out how everypony was feeling around him.

Unsurprisingly, confusion was the most prevalent feeling around him. There were a few others filtered throughout though. Pride from Celestia. Satisfaction from Luna. Relief from Fluttershy. Regret from Spike. Some of those he wanted to ask about. Later, when the time was right. Of more immediate concern was how the other...Other element bearers, were feeling.

Deep Note was deeply uncertain, hesitance born of worry. He must have learned just what this would involve from Applejack, so such concern was understandable. Apple Bloom was similarly concerned, though the presence of her closest friends was providing some comfort. Sweetie Belle was surprisingly calm, curiosity slightly outweighing her underlying sadness. Scootaloo was looking toward Rainbow Dash, the two of them sharing a moment of understanding. Silently passing the torch to the next generation. The younger pegasus was the only one he couldn't sense any reservations from. Peace Walker was an enigma, either highly adept at hiding her feelings or completely overwhelmed by them.

None of them felt like they were going to break the moment though. It would have to be him. All he had to do was make sure all of them at least accepted the idea. The rest, they could work through once everything had settled down slightly.

"Well...I don't think any of us expected this when we arrived," Aurora started, drawing everypony's attention. "And I know it sounds crazy. But, Rainbow, Fluttershy, it probably sounded crazy when you were going through it too."

"Yeah it was. I'd never actually met Twi, AJ or Rarity before that day." Rainbow confirmed, Fluttershy nodding in support.

"And yet here we are," He continued, the others focused on him now. "If anything, we've been given an even better place to start. We know each other somewhat, we have all our friends that actually know what happens and, with any luck, we won't have quite so many 'End of Equestria' scale threats as they did. I don't know if we can quite live up to the legacy our predecessors set...But I'm going to make sure I follow their example. Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle. Scooaloo. Peace Walker. Deep Note. What'd you think? Up for helping make Equestria a land of harmony again?"

He smiled and stretched a hoof out in front of him. For a few moments they just stared back at him, long enough to wonder if he'd only managed to dissuade them further.

"...Wow, even Twilight's speeches rubbed off on you!" Scootaloo chuckled, before stepping forward and placing her hoof against Aurora's. "I get it though. We'll make them proud."

"Darn tootin!'" Apple Bloom added, coming in and bringing her own hoof up next to Scootaloo's. "Still ain't sure how I fit in all this, but that don't mean I wont give it mah all."

"I almost feel like I should have seen this coming," Sweetie Belle said happily as she brought her hoof in by Aurora's. "I've been trying to keep everypony's spirits up since the start. I don't plan on stopping now!"

"You all make it sound so easy..." Deep Note commented as he walked over, looking notably uncomfortable. "Are we really ready for something like this?"

"I don't think anypony's ever ready for something like this." Sweetie replied gently.

"Nopony's going to make you either," Aurora added. "Just know that we're all going to have your back, whichever way you choose."

Deep closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, silently weighing it up in his mind. On the exhale he opened his eyes and looked much more confident. Without further hesitation he brought his hoof in between Sweetie and Scootaloo's. With five in, they all looked toward Peace Walker. She had been standing by, silently watching the developments. Now everypony was looking her way, she shook her head slightly and put on an ever so slightly forced smile.

"What can I say? I like you all." She said as she stepped up and put her hoof in the last gap between Bloom and Aurora's.

In a way, each of them knew this was the moment. The atmosphere in the cave was one of change and finality. With the glow of the tree on one side, the four ponies and one dragon watching on the other, the six of them looked among themselves and saw themselves as what they now were. The Elements of Harmony. The crisis Tantabus had wrought was finally over. Now they would be the ones who would be at the frontline of helping Equestria through the aftermath. They would rebuild, they would spread peace back into ponies' hearts, they would help ensue the magic of friendship remained strong long into the future.

And perhaps, one day, they would be able to see the day when they would be free to step back and take in their done duties.

Perhaps.

Author's Note

I'll admit...It feels weird to be at this point now. Three years ago when I was starting to write Rising Above, it was intended to just be a near-future one-shot, based on what could happen based on what we knew in mid-season 5. Then Crusaders of the Lost Mark aired and I decided to make it an AU. I realised I was no longer strictly bound by canon, started having ideas for the Quickverse and, here we are. Looking back on it all, I'd say I'm happy with my progress and most of the results.

One more chapter to go, coming out tomorrow as a treat for us all. See you there!

Oh, and over 150k words, awesome!

Epilogue - All the Time in the Universe

???????
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In hindsight, she really should have expected something like this.

The laws of magic and energy meant they couldn't simply be destroyed after all. They had to go somewhere.

All the same, even if she'd had time to learn about what could happen, this probably wasn't what she had expected.

Twilight could see nothing but a dim whiteness around her, stretching as far as the eye could see in every direction. There was no point of reference for where anything was. Yet her hooves felt solid ground underneath them. Her body was as damaged as it had been at the tomb, yet she felt no pain. No bodily needs, no stimulation against her coat. When she looked down though, she could still see her chest and legs, feel them as she rubbed them against each other. There was nothing to indicate exactly what state she was in, yet she knew in her gut that she wasn't actually dead.

At a guess, the final effect of her spell had gone slightly differently to her intent. In the heat of the moment, there had simply been no time to think of what else she could have done. With how much magic had been involved and the way it hung in the air, it had to have been incredibly powerful. It wasn't impossible that she had been shifted into an alternate plane of existence, or even accidentally created a sort of pocket dimension. Whatever it was though, she knew she was stuck in her own personal limbo for now.

Twilight slowly turned in a full circle, looking for any sign of variance in the landscape. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing around, above or below her. In a way, she could consider that a blessing. It meant there would be no distractions while she worked on finding a way out of here. This limbo had been created by her magic. It was entirely possible that she could manipulate it, maybe even find a way to return to Equestria through it. Where and when were questions she couldn't answer right now. Of course, there was also the other reason she couldn't go immediately.

Her horn glowed with its familiar aura and with a mental flick, it pulsed brighter as the world around her shifted from white to black. That told her all she needed to know about her control over this space. After several seconds the glow momentarily shifted to a pale orange before a spark of the same colour shot off in front of her. An aqua one followed, sparking to the side instead. For several seconds her magic flashed rapidly, more sparks of every colour firing off all around her. She didn't even need to look to see how many there were. Sixty-two. One for each lekli present at the Tomb of the Gods.

By the time she let her magic settle, the 'floor' around her was illuminated with all their glows. Standing before her, all around her, were the spectral forms of the fallen alicorns. Under regular circumstances the sight would have been incredibly intimidating. While their physical statures varied, from lithe stallions a head shorter than her to a twelve foot tall beast with so much muscle it was hard to determine their gender, they were all equally conscious now. Thankfully, in their current state they were incapable of harming her or attempting to jump into her body. Especially when she effectively controlled the universe around them.

"So...That's that then."

Caligo's voice was like ice to Twilight's ears. She looked forward to see him stepping toward her, the other lekli looking toward him too. His body was still the same form as when he had during their showdown and his aura now flickered between orange and silver. The sight felt like an insult to her, and to Sunset Shimmer's memory, but she simply stared back at him without giving any hint of her feelings.

"I hope you can live with genocide on your conscience," He continued, managing to stare her down without an actual body. "The question now is, what happens now?"

"What happens now?" A voice whispered from somewhere behind her. Others joined in, one after the other, their voices becoming a constant hiss.

"What happens now?!"

"What happens...Now?"

"What happens now?"

Twilight could see them moving to surround her, their voices slowly becoming more threatening as they closed in. She didn't even blink. She could influence the space around them that her magic had created. While she couldn't exactly harm them either, she could keep things under control. With a simple thought she cast a barrier around herself and rapidly expanded it. The lekli were pushed back several dozen feet before stopping, falling silent as they were repulsed. They all glared coldly at her, yet none tried to resume their threats.

She could tell that they still had some power, but none were strong enough to attempt anything at present. That would have to be the first half of what happened next: Finding a way to neutralise the strength of the lekli once and for all. She couldn't well return home with their threat still lingering. The second half would likely be even harder. Finding a way to safely escape or dispel this limbo she had placed herself into, and returning to Equestria and her friends. These would potentially be the most trying tests to her magic she had ever faced. But unlike the trap she had placed herself in these last few weeks, she had every faith she would succeed.

She had her memories of her friends and loved ones to keep her going.

She had a clear, challenging goal with no distractions to keep her focused.

And she had all the time she needed to figure it out.

Twilight allowed herself to smile as she sat down and closed her eyes, horn glowing faintly as she reached out through her magic, trying to learn as much as she could about the space. There were worse ways to spend her time trapped here. And she was certain that she would see everypony again. When the time was right.

One day.

The end

Author's Note

On October 1st 2015 at 10:16 pm, I began work on what would become the Quickverse.

On December 7th 2018 at 11:37 pm, the final piece was completed and now, slightly behind schedule, it's all uploaded.

So ends what I would tentatively dub the 'First season' of the Quickverse. I still have quite a few ideas rattling around for S2, but between the stresses of writing constantly for so long (multiple burnouts included) and G4 of pony starting to wind down, I couldn't say with any certainty if it would be written. I'll lay the ideas out at a later date so that there's something to come back to if I go ahead, but for now...

I want to genuinely thank every single reader I've had. You guys and girls have been the reason I wanted to keep telling this story, in the hope that I kept putting a smile on someone's face as they read. From those of you who responded positively enough to get one or two stories on the popular list, to those who just stuck around long enough to leave a downvote. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

I still have one or two actual stories still to write, only semi-related to the Quickverse at best. For now though, I'm taking a rare break that I think I've earned. Hopefully I'll see you all again sometime. Quick Fix, out.

Chapter 1 - Gathering in the Light

Ponyville
October 15th, Year 23 under the Four Princesses

The skies over Ponyville were as fair as could be hoped for at this time of year. Only a few scattered clouds hung over the town and a light breeze carried a cooling flow to compliment the warmth of the sun above. It was almost a metaphor for the state of Equestria. The troubled times of the past few months, from small things like a clash between friends to major incidents that saw the return of the nation's old enemies, were being blown away and the serene peace of the past seven months were settling in.

As she circled high over town, warming her feathers on the thermal currents, Rainbow Dash took a moment to simply appreciate the situation. After everything she personally had endured, the peace was extra welcome to her. A chance to look around and appreciate how much better things were becoming for ponykind. To the west were clear skies and bright sunshine. Aside from reflecting how good things were for the general population, thousands of years of enmity were coming to an end beyond that horizon. Within the Undiscovered West, the ponies of Equestria and the changelings of Outlani were laying the groundwork for a new start between their races. Rainbow couldn't help but smile to herself at the thought, both for the part she had played and for the fact that her friend Water Flare was likely in the changeling homeland right now, making that future a reality.

All the same, she knew it wasn't as simple as that. She banked to turn around and scanned over the skyline in the opposite direction. Just visible to the northeast were the rumbles of a thunderstorm that was steadily creeping south along the coastline. A distant reminder in the back of her mind that there was always some fresh threat lingering out there. Twilight had mentioned a potential one a few months ago, what sounded like a old mares tale about alicorn ghosts powerful enough to destroy the world. The thing was, she knew and trusted her friend enough to believe it. Not to mention it was apparently serious enough for Princess Celestia herself to be personally keeping watch on.

As she caught a thermal under her wings and gained a little altitude, Rainbow looked down over Ponyville. A beacon of calm between the two extremes. Even the feeling of security brought about by such a familiar place was reflected in the pleasant warmth of an autumn sun, using what strength it had before the chill of winter set in fully. She had her home, her friends, and her peace of mind. There wasn't much more a pony could really ask for.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow's ears twitched and she shook the idle musing from her mind at that familiar voice coming from behind and below her. She pulled out of her glide and into a hover before spinning round, smiling as she saw Scootaloo flying up toward her. Even after several months she still had to put aside that minor sense of surprise at seeing her sister in all but blood. Due to both her flying almost as well as any pegasus after being grounded for most of her life, and for the scar running parallel above her left eye that had left her eyelid resting slightly lower. If it bothered Scootaloo though, she never showed it.

"Heya squirt," Rainbow said with a smile once she was close enough, dropping altitude so she wouldn't have to push herself too hard. "What's up?"

"Twilight's organized a general get together in the park, just something for ponies to catch up at. You in?"

"Hah, you even need to ask?" Rainbow grinned as she looked at the ground again. She had noticed quite a few ponies had been heading that way but hadn't paid it any mind. Still, she had been a bit busy with both the Wonderbolts and the Equestria Defence Force in the past few weeks, it was high time she hung out with the others like old times.

"Okay, race you there! First one through the course gets first pick of the sandwiches!" Scootaloo called as she flipped over backward and dove for the ground.

Rainbow Dash could only stare in surprise for a moment before grinning further and taking off after her little sister. Her eyes narrowed against the wind chill as she pulled alongside and shot a cocky smile at Scootaloo. They both knew that Rainbow was untouchable in a straight line if she really went for it, but the adrenaline rush of competition meant more to her than the definite victory these days. Scootaloo glanced back at her and adjusted her posture slightly to match Rainbow's before pulling out of the dive and banking off slightly. Rainbow followed her, wondering what the diversion was about. They were still a good hundred feet in the air and angled toward the center of town. Then she levelled out and saw what Scootaloo had been aiming for.

A light red ring was hovering in the air ahead of them, wide enough for a pegasus to pass through at full wingspan. Another was visible just beyond it, with a few dozen more headed toward and over the park. They looked a random mess but Rainbow could already pick out the course they made. A quick glance toward the park showed a light blue unicorn with her horn lit in a pink aura, carefully watching their flight. That confirmed her thoughts; Scootaloo must have called in a favour from Trixie to make things more fun for them. She made a mental note to thank them both later before focusing in fully on the mid-air course, pulling ahead of Scootaloo to let the younger mare ride her slipstream before getting to the hard part.

Hopefully they could put on a good show for the ponies on the ground while they were at it.

Pinkie Pie spun on her hooves to watch Rainbow and Scootaloo pull a corkscrew one after the other as they made a pass over the park, the smile on her face only growing at the display. Twilight had mentioned her plans for this open hang out session yesterday and the party pony had wasted no time in making sure that there was enough of a setup ready for half of Ponyville to show up. Pound and Pumpkin Cake were more than capable of looking after Sugarcube Corner for a few hours and being able to put together a casual party like this was what she did best. As an added bonus, such a gathering was the perfect opportunity to spend time with her marefriend once all the prep work was done.

Satisfied that everything was in order now and ponies were settling in and enjoying themselves, Pinkie bounded over to a lone beech tree near the river that intersected the park. Her already joyful heart only soared further as she saw Apple Bloom leaning back against it, smiling softly and waving her over. She looked perfect to Pinkie in this light, dappled by what sunlight broke through the leaves, still sporting her sky blue neckerchief and a set of bandages around the lower half of her right foreleg. The cuts and burns they covered had long since healed but she had kept the leg wrapped up, a reminder of what the two of them had endured in order to be with each other today.

"Alright, ya ready to take a break now?" Apple Bloom asked, stretching out slightly. Pinkie replied by launching herself into a sideways somersault, halting halfway through her second roll and coming down to land against the earth pony's chest. Such a move would have winded most ponies, but between Bloom's build and Pinkie's ability to stop herself on a bit, neither of them felt a thing.

"I suppose I can scooch a little time in for you," Pinkie replied, snuggling in against Bloom's chest and nuzzling under her chin. "I mean setting up the most funderful meet to set a smile on everypony's face sure is fun, but it takes a lot out of me when I haven't hit my daily dose yet."

"It's not like you t'forget to bring a cupcake along."

"Oh I didn't," Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a strawberry cupcake, popping it into her mouth and demolishing it in seconds. "But nowadays I never quite have all my Pinkie strength ready to go without a bit of Bloomie to back it up."

"Awww shucks," Apple Bloom blushed and wrapped her forelegs around Pinkie's stomach, cuddling her tenderly. She had a few inches of height and a fair bit of muscle over the party pony but when they were together she was always at her softest. "Now I reckon I might be able to help ya find some of that."

"Oh, but this dose is the rarest in all Equestria," Pinkie told her in mock theatrics, pressing a little closer and brushing a hoof against her marefriend's cheek. Her acting wasn't bad but it was so over the top that Apple Bloom couldn't help but giggle. That was the important bit. "How can you possibly find it in time?"

"'Cause I keep a stock right here," Bloom replied with a stifled laugh, leaning down and kissing behind Pinkie's right ear before whispering in it. "Love ya, Pinball."

"Eeeeehehe! I love you too, Bloomie!" Pinkie laughed in equal parts glee at her new nickname and joy at hearing those words again.

Apple Bloom followed it up with a series of strokes up and down Pinkie's stomach, as well as nuzzling into her mane. It normally felt like candy floss but recently Pinkie had actually started putting effort into her appearance. She now sported a softer and springier mane that bounced into Bloom's face as she made her partner squirm in amusement. Most ponies would be surprised to see such a pair of energetic ponies have such relatively restrained methods of showing their affection, but nopony could deny just how committed they were.

"So you see, the spiders arn't scary at all. In fact he's very helpful." Fluttershy said softly, watching as her star spider friend, Fuzzy Legs VI, scuttled along her raised hoof and peeked over the edge for a look at the seven month old, marigold orange foal nestled against Fluttershy's chest.

"Ba-da." Star Glider replied as she sucked on her hoof quietly, watching both the spider and her mother with a small measure of interest.

Fluttershy couldn't help but smile lovingly at the sight. She'd known right from that start that becoming a parent for the second time wouldn't be much easier than first time, if at all. Despite the difficulty, she'd been able to face it again, with the help of her friends and her husband. Even her first foal had been surprisingly understanding about the whole situation, though he always had been something of a calm colt. It had been something of a small mercy that she had faced nothing more serious than a call to a friendship problem during her pregnancy and for the sake of her foals, she hoped that the current peace would last for the foreseeable future.

"Excuse me, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy looked up on hearing her name through the background chatter of the gathering, recognising it was Diamond Tiara's voice and spotting her approach a moment later. She put the spider down to the ground and made sure it scuttled away to safety before looking forward again.

"Oh err, Mayor Tiara." She said, bowing her head for a moment in greeting.

"Oh don't worry, I'm only here to ask for advice," Diamond replied as she sat down in front of her, leaning in and taking in the sight of Star Glider. "Hey there, who's an adorable little sunpop?"

Star simply blew a small raspberry and reached for her mane in response.

"Sweetie, be nice," Fluttershy told her, brushing a few strands of blue-gray hair out of the filly's eyes and waiting while she padded her front hooves for a moment before settling down. "How can I help?"

"Well," Diamond looked over to an open area of the park where a group of foals were playing tag under the watchful eye of a brown pegasus stallion. Fluttershy followed her gaze, knowing they were in good hooves with both her husband Silent Breeze watching and her son Mist Chaser joining in. It was a safe bet that Diamond's adopted daughter was in there too. "I know you have a lot more experience as a parent than I do, and you're a better one too."

"Don't say that, you've taken care of Stellar Nova through an incredibly trying experience. I doubt ponies who've had children their whole lives could do much better."

"Maybe, but there's still things I'm learning," Diamond's eyes focused on a sand coloured unicorn filly among the group, keeping watch on how she interacted. "It's been two weeks since Stellar got her cutie mark and she's still keeping to herself a lot more. Even from the rest of her crusader friends. Is, is that normal?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment and was about to reply when she noticed her hooves felt a little lighter. Star had shifted forward slightly and taken a strand of Diamond's mane in her mouth, chewing on it as if nothing was wrong. Diamond paused and looked back at the sensation before relaxing and lowering her head so it didn't pull so much.

"Oh gosh, I-I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy stammered as she reached out to try and coax the foal into something other than mane chewing.

"It's okay, I mean she's happy," Diamond chuckled gently, settling down fully and leaning her head in further. "And besides, I've got time today."

Despite herself, Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. It seemed everypony was willing to help in some way. Now she just had to think about how to respond to the question.

"Darling, I know it's a very nice piece of couture but you don't have to worry about hiding behind it." Rarity commented, taking a sip of tea. Pinkie had been considerate enough to include a few pieces in her food preparations for ponies with a somewhat more refined taste, but she had still needed to bring her own tea set. Not that something like that was a priority right now, not with the troubles still plaguing the pony sitting next to her.

"But...There's so many ponies here. What if one of them recognises me?" Coco Pommel replied quietly, glancing round at the dozens of ponies gathered in the area that were paying no attention to her in any way. She was covered up in a simple yet styled light blue dress of her own hoofwork and a wide brimmed sun hat, perfect for obscuring her features.

Rarity looked over at her sadly, not sure how to reply. Coco had always been a rather timid pony, but the aftermath of the White Phoenix incident had left her even more withdrawn. It had taken the better part of an hour to convince her just to come out like this rather than stay at home. Rarity had been to Manehatten several times in the following months and learned that while it was now common knowledge that her unlucky friend had been the mysterious arsonist, the fact that she had been brainwashed at the time had gone a long way in soothing public opinion. Practically the only pony outside Manehatten who actually considered her guilty was Coco herself.

"I understand what it's like to feel like your reputation has been destroyed, better than most ponies," Rarity said gently as she put her cup down on the picnic cloth beneath her. "But, aside from the fact that you're still among the best seamstresses I've had the pleasure of working with, the most important thing to remember is that even the worst of times is only temporary."

"Plus you're in the most forgiving town in Equestria. There's no better place to pick yourself back up." Sweetie Belle added as she joined them, rubbing her horn slightly.

The younger, taller mare was speaking from experience, considering she had been able to travel to Ponyville a lot when her singing career had fallen into a slump the year before. Now that she had managed to get it going again, combined with the recognition she gained for helping bring the White Phoenix to light, this was actually the first time she had been able to visit in months.

"Maybe," Coco admitted, sitting up and relaxing slightly as Sweetie sat down next to her. "I'd just like to know for sure that ponies still saw me as me."

"Well, just before I came over I had a crystal pony asking for an autograph. He asked if I knew you because he would have liked yours as well."

"Really...?" Coco pushed her hat back enough for her eyes to be visible, light blue irises shining with a glint of hope. Sweetie Belle nodded and pointed out a light red crystal stallion among a group of ponies not far away.

"Ask for Moonstone Snap. I guarantee you'll be as popular with him as I was, if not more so."

Coco looked over at the half-dozen ponies indicated, tapping a hoof against the ground nervously. After several seconds she pulled her hat back down over her eyes and stood up, slowly making her way over to them. Rarity and Sweetie watched her go with a sense of optimistic surprise. Neither had actually expected her to just get up and go for it like that, though it was likely at this point she also wanted it to be true enough for that nudge to overcome her fears.

"Did he really say that?" Rarity asked quietly once Coco had left, adjusting her glasses with her magic.

"Well, he actually said he was a fan of your fashion line and wondered if I knew any of the ponies behind it," Sweetie admitted. "I did tell him that she was the best employee you had though. Plus he did mention he was from Manehatten, so he either didn't know about what happened to her or didn't care."

Rarity nodded and smiled. That part about Coco's skill wasn't untrue and she may just have stumbled upon the perfect pony to help her get through her fears better than anypony. She also felt a strong measure of pride at her little sister, still doing her best to bring some happiness to somepony else's day no matter what.

"So, Applejack, how's it feel getting old like the rest of us?" Spike asked with a small grin as the two of them walked through the gathering. Both had simply been mingling before meeting up and making their way back toward Twilight.

"Begging yer pardon, drake, but ah'm pretty sure that forty an' five days don't quite count as old yet," Applejack replied, her tone showing that she knew he was joking. "Besides, yer only thirty-one."

"Yeah, but nopony would believe that from the look of me." He countered, getting up on his back legs to walk that way for a short distance. She had to admit he had a point there. He was roughly twice as tall as the average pony when he reared up and he was certainly mature beyond his years.

"Alright, can't deny that one."

"So err..." Spike dropped back to all fours, suddenly looking a lot more wary. "Are you doing alright?"

"What with?" She asked in confusion.

"That, that whole ordeal with Bounty. It was kind of hard not to know about it."

Applejack paused mid-step. While she shouldn't have been surprised that he knew about it, she had been trying not to think about if she actually was alright. Very few ponies could say they had been attracted to a pony that turned out to be a magically created clone after all. Twilight knew more about it but considering that Bounty was effectively a green maned copy of Shining Armor, that discussion could very quickly turn awkward. On top of that, there was the fact that he wasn't the only stallion she had feelings for. While she had been too busy on the farm recently to pay the issue much mind, she knew that she would have to settle it eventually. Even if it meant leaving a pony's heart broken.

"I've been living with it, just not sure what t'do about it," She finally replied, moving to catch up to Spike. "What about you? You still haven't properly explained what why half yer back suddenly got darker."

"It's a long story." Twilight's voice came from nearby. The two of them looked over to see the Princess of Friendship laying down under an oak tree, looking over the proceedings with a faint smile on her face.

"Wouldn't happen to have anythin' to do with that lost alicorn story RD said ya told her?" Applejack asked. The way Twilight momentarily tensed told her all she needed to know.

"Rainbow!" Twilight shouted as she stood up, catching the pegasus' attention and drawing her away from the impromptu gathering of flyers that were now trying their wings at Trixie's course.

"It's basically a yes," Spike told Applejack quietly as Twilight waited for Rainbow Dash to land in front of her before launching into a restrained tirade about confidential information. "Considering what happened though, I'd say I'm lucky to be alive, let alone nothing worse than some torched scales."

"Hrrmm." Applejack mused to herself as she nodded and focused on the other discussion. She trusted that Twilight would tell her about it when the time was right.

"You told me about it in a hospital waiting room. Even in the middle of the night, that's not exactly confidential." Rainbow was saying, wings twitching slightly but managing to keep her composure.

"And that's why I'm not saying anything else on it right now," Twilight replied, looking stern as well. "But this may be bigger than we can handle with just the elements. You want ponies to find that out before we find a solution?"

"Of course not, but if we're going to make a start we have to tell the others sooner rather than later." Rainbow countered, motioning toward Applejack and Spike. By this point Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy had noticed the rest of their friends gathering and were making their way over.

"I think Rainbow is right," Spike interjected, drawing a look of surprise from Twilight. "You know better than I do how well things went with Ortasin. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"Errm, who's Ortasin?" Applejack asked.

Before anypony could inquire or explain further, Spike tensed up and belched a burst of green fire that materialised into a scroll with Princess Celestia's seal on it. Twilight took it in her magic and opened it up quickly, reading it out for the others.

"Twilight, I apologise for the haste this message was written with but an emergency situation has arisen in Canterlot. I ask you and your friends join me as soon as possible. Security at the castle is in an uproar so teleport to outside the castle grounds. If she is with you, instruct Rainbow Dash to meet with Cipher at EDF headquarters immediately. Please hurry...Princess Celestia."

"Oh my..." Fluttershy commented quietly, quickly leaving to make sure both her foals were safe with her husband.

Her words matched everypony else's thoughts. If whatever was happening was enough to break Celestia's regal demeanour, then it was likely worse than any of them could imagine.

"Alright, I'm probably be finding what caused whatever's happening. Be quick as I can." Rainbow told the others before taking off at full speed, heading for Canterlot at such pace that she launched a sonic rainboom once she was clear of Ponyville.

"I think you're all about to get your answers..." Twilight told the others as she motioned for them to move up to her, Fluttershy rejoining them moments later. She could teleport all five of them with little trouble and wasn't about to waste so much as a second. Not if this situation was connected to the lekli like she feared.

"One month short." Pinkie sighed quietly to herself as she moved up next to Twilight, the last one to get into position before they were teleported out in a light purple flash.

Chapter 3 - Harmony's Final Stand

Ten minutes earlier...

As Rainbow Dash slid her helmet on and fitted the mouthplate into position, she paused for a moment and looked around the empty armoury. Her orders had changed upon arriving at the Equestria Defence Force HQ in Canterlot, being told to suit up immediately and that she would be receiving orders on site. Even if the situation had escalated in the time it had taken her to reach the city, it may have helped if she had been told where 'on site' was. None of the other members of Task Force Harmony had been present and everypony else in the headquarters seemed to be lost as to what was going on. Still, if whatever situation had arisen required the use of both special forces and the Elements of Harmony then she couldn't go in at less than 150% focus. Her armour was still as good as the last time, small magic resistant plates with layers of enchanted rubber and cotton underneath. It was still a perfect fit too, maybe slightly more comfortable than when she had last worn it at Mount Silvat. Presumably a plus of the upgrade to mark one-point-seven spec armour, courtesy of the Institute of Development.

As soon as all three layers were on and the latches were firmly secured Rainbow turned and went to make her way out. Before she could take two steps she was met with the sound of someone snapping their fingers and the world around her disappeared in a poof of smoke. When it cleared she standing on a gravel pathway, Canterlot just about visible in the distance. At her body adjusted to the sudden change, she guessed that she was roughly five thousand feet up in the mountain range east of the capital, somewhere close to where the peaks met due to the close proximity of another mountain to the left. Such a sudden shift in location would have freaked out most ponies, but in Rainbow's case it only made the situation clearer. Princess Celestia must have called in a favour with Discord to get the squad where they were needed in a hurry.

"Crash, behind you." A familiar mare's voice said through the weave of communication magic imbued in the armour over her ears.

Rainbow turned to see another figure clad in the same rocky, black coated armour motioning for her to join them behind an outcrop of boulders that had come to rest there after a rockslide. The fact it was a unicorn mare properly established that it was her squadmate, Healing Wave. She quickly covered the gap and fluttered over the rocks, landing and relaxing as she realised there were four ponies in the same armour there. Two earth stallions and a pegasus stallion alongside Wave. Even though not one of them had any identifying feature visible she knew them well enough to know it was Cipher, Bulwark and Flash Sentry.

"You got here even quicker than I expected." Cipher said as he leaned forward at Rainbow's arrival. Although his voice still carried the tone of a commander there was an underlying tension to it, a sense of regret he was trying to hide.

"Naturally," Rainbow replied, offering a hoofbump to the rest of the squad that Bulwark and Flash returned. "Is Soul here yet?"

"I am. Just on some last minute recon." Aurora's voice came from over the comms, his calm demeanour suggesting he was using his sensory magic.

"Since you can all hear me, I'll handle the briefing now," Cipher told the others, waiting for them to lift their silver visors so he could see they were giving their undivided attention. "Twenty minutes ago the Canterlot throne room was attacked by a lone individual. The extent of damage to the castle is unknown, but I can confirm Princess Celestia was unharmed. Recon Corps units were scrambled as the assailant teleported out and they were located again here, on the old roads through the Foal Mountains, likely headed for the abandoned mine just east of here. We've been tasked to shadow their retreat and locate their hideout, though if an opportunity presents itself we're free to move and detain them."

"Do we know the identity of the attacker?" Flash asked as he adjusted the armour over his wings, watching as Cipher tilted his head slightly but gave no other reaction behind his helmet.

"Yes...Sunset Shimmer."

The rest of the ponies present exchanged worried glances at the news and Rainbow momentarily wondered if it was a good idea for Cipher to be leading this mission. The EDF had fairly loose rules about families in action together, but sending a father to track down his own daughter could easily be too much. That said, they weren't actually being sent to fight this time and Cipher had shown his fortitude was enough to keep going through the worst situations. She trusted he would be able to maintain control.

"Alright, we'll handle the heavy lifting if trouble does break out." Bulwark commented. Cipher nodded and placed a hoof to the larger stallion's shoulder in thanks.

"Sir, our target is almost under your position," Aurora reported a few moments later. "Something is off though."

"What do you mean?" Cipher asked, motioning for the others to fit their visors back into position.

"It's like she's moving without any energy or purpose. She was mumbling something to herself the whole way too. When I tried to sense her, it's hard to describe what I felt. Pure turmoil."

Cipher immediately got up and moved to the edge of the pathway. Rainbow was the first to follow him there. The view before them was largely drab, mostly occupied by the slopes of the next mountain in the chain. Roughly eighty feet below them was an ancient roadway for wagons, scattered stone slabs the only indication of its former glory. Sunset Shimmer was visible against the dirt ground, taking a few steps before stopping and performing some action they couldn't make out from this angle. She repeated this performance twice before Cipher straightened up and looked back at the others.

"New plan," He told them firmly. "Crash, Zippy, fast drop me and Stable down before doing the same for Wall. Soul, come in from behind. We're going to try and bring her in while she's distracted."

"Buddy, with respect, is that wise?" Rainbow asked warily. "We don't have details on what happened, how powerful the target is, even if that's all that's waiting down there."

The rest of the squad waited as Cipher stared at Rainbow for several long seconds, their expressions unreadable behind their helmets.

"I know what's down there," He eventually stated. "My daughter, and she's in many kinds of trouble. If I'm wrong...Cover me."

He braced himself and hopped over the edge, Flash Sentry taking off at the same moment and following him down. Rainbow sighed to herself before launching into a hover and picking up Healing Wave, firmly gripping under the unicorn's forelegs before flapping over the edge and dropping into a quick fall. While it did make sense to try and nip any potential danger in the bud, she had a gut feeling that there was something seriously off about the situation. A quick glance down showed Flash flaring his wings out to slow his descent at the last second before dropping Cipher into a textbook landing.

"Sunset!" Cipher shouted even as he completed the landing, his right foreleg buckling slightly but staying upright and straightening out.

As Sunset turned to face him, Rainbow took the opportunity to bring her descent back under control and land Wave behind their target, keeping herself in the air. With Aurora running from his position on the road to join Cipher and Flash it was now five against one. Most ponies would consider that good odds but everypony present knew they could afford to take no chances in any risky situation.

"No. No no, no. Not another one..." Sunset said quietly. Her whole body was shaking slightly and as she slowly turned in a circle to see she was surrounded it was clear there was something seriously wrong with her. Her eyes were unfocused as though staring at something a hundred miles away and her movements were extremely twitchy, like she was swatting at something invisible on her. It was almost like she hadn't registered their presence at all.

"It's okay, it's me," Cipher continued, undoing the latch on his mouthplate and opening it just enough for her to recognise his muzzle and voice before closing it again. "I just want to talk to you, Sunny."

"I need calm, need to fight. I can't fight. Can't stop it. Mind is like ice, freezing me up. It's so dark." Sunset replied, taking some shaky steps toward the rock face and leaning against it, shaking her head quickly.

Rainbow could only watch in confusion, struggling to make any sense of what was being said. Sudden sounds of rockfall from behind drew her attention and she quickly looked backward while everypony else remained focused on their target. The tension bled away as she realised it was Bulwark making his own way down from above, utilising a more sloped section further up the road. She was silently thankful the whole team was ready to go again. The longer the situation dragged on, the more that gut feeling was telling her that something was about to go wrong.

"I was there, remember?" Cipher told Sunset gently as he approached her, Aurora and Wave levelling their horns in readiness. "I don't know what happened to you and Princess Luna, but we can help you."

Sunset froze at those words and shifted round to have her back to the rock, sitting down and suddenly clutching her head in her hooves. Cipher stopped and waited until she went still again before moving up to her, placing his hooves on her shoulders. Her only response was a near silent whimper. The other five ponies moved a little closer as well, Rainbow and Flash staying in the air, ready to support their leader if...When needed.

"I-I'm sorry..." She said quietly, her voice petering out as she lifted her head slightly.

"It'll be okay, Sunny," Cipher said reassuringly. "Just come back to Canterlot with us and we can fix this whole-"

"No."

Sunset's voice was suddenly a lot firmer, smoother yet cold like a blade. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in shock on hearing it. Even through a difference voice she recognised that tone. It had belonged to the first great threat she had ever faced.

"She's sorry about me."

Cipher barely had time to register the words before a concentrated beam of aqua magic, tinged with streaks of black and dark blue, shot from Sunset's horn and hit him in the head at point blank range. The force of the attack sent him flying back several feet and crashing back to the ground in full view of the others. The front half of his helmet had been completely destroyed, shards of it leaving a bleeding gash across his face, his mane burned short. His eyes were blank and staring though, devoid of the warmth and care they had shown mere moments before.

"Commander!" Healing Wave cried in shock, her composure breaking before she could stop herself. The rest of the squad remained silent, rooted in place as they tried to absorb what they were witnessing. The only one who acted any differently was Aurora, the tip of his horn armour glowing white for a few moments before fading again.

"Nothing." He said quietly. The others didn't have to ask what that meant.

From where she was standing, Rainbow Dash let out a breath she'd been holding as the situation sank in. Her leader, one of her friends. had just been killed right in front of her. And nopony had been able to react in time. Cipher may have drilled it into everypony that staying alive on the battlefield didn't make them invincible, but to see him die like that was still one of the most harrowing things she'd ever experienced. To make things worse, the kind of power Sunset Shimmer had just displayed was beyond even the heights indicated in her intel file. The amount of magic needed to break through a magic-resistant mineral like their armour was made of was more than any unicorn could focus in the quarter second it had taken. Could this have something to do with the threat Twilight had been telling her about?

A dark chuckle drew the attention of the five survivors, each of them regaining their composure and dropping into fighting postures. Sunset had stood back up in the seconds they had been distracted and was now staring them down. Her former broken demeanour had vanished, replaced by a more imposing stance. Her gaze was cold and filled with distain. Her pupils had constricted to roughly a quarter of their usual width and were radiating a sense of intense darkness. Most worrying of all though, her cutie mark was glowing brightly. When it faded a moment later, the white haze remained around its edges and a crescent moon had appeared at its center, right where the twin suns met.

"Ahh, the irony of being free in a body named after the sun," She mused, seemingly to herself rather than to the ponies in front of her as she looked over them with a smirk. "I'm sure everypony will recognise it once the eternal night returns though. All of you, however..."

"Orders, Major?" Bulwark asked warily, taking a step backward. His words brought a new point up in Rainbow's mind. As the next highest ranked member of the squad, she was in command now. Her eyes darted from the others to Sunset, analysing the situation as quickly as she could. Even the mental training provided by her time in the Wonderbolts wasn't enough for her to think up a plan for this though.

"Fall back!" She called. The odds weren't in their favour and getting her remaining squadmates out alive was now top priority. As Aurora and Flash rushed to join up with Bulwark and Wave she dove for their opponent, aiming to distract her for a few vital seconds.

Sunset glanced up at the incoming pegasus and smirked, her horn lighting up in response. Rainbow gritted her teeth and brought her hoof down, only to hit nothing but dirt as the unicorn teleported away. Sunset reappeared right next to where Aurora was running and fired another blast of her magic immediately. Aurora saw the movement next to him and managed to bring up a shield just in time to avoid taking the hit. The force of the blast was overwhelming however and he was blown sideways off the pathway at incredible speed, screaming in panic. The sheer speed of the launch meant his body kept going near horizontally until he smashed into the adjacent mountain slope and vanished in a haze of rock and dust.

Seeing another of her friends fall like they were nothing was more than Rainbow Dash was willing to handle. She roared in anger and charged Sunset again, throwing punches, leg bucks and headbutts, each measured to keep her target off balance and wear them down. Sunset was managing to evade every attack sent her way but it was clear that she was at a disadvantage in close combat, steadily being driven backwards. If they could just keep this duel up until the rest of the squad could reach a safe distance, or even reach Canterlot, then she could pull back as well, find Aurora and get out of the area. It wasn't the best plan under any circumstance, but it was the only one she was willing to use. She couldn't let the others down any further.

Sunset snarled as she dodged a moment too late and was staggered by a blow taking a foreleg out from under her. Before any follow up attacks could land she teleported again, reappearing ten feet above Rainbow. She gripped her body in her magic to keep herself suspended before firing a rapid barrage of magic at the pegasus below. Although the majority of shots went wide, a number struck against Rainbow's back and between her wings. The weaker magic failed to penetrate the armour this time but it was still enough to break the dozens of plates protecting that section, many falling off her body and clattering against the ground.

"Not bad." Rainbow grunted as she took off before any follow up attacks could land. Sunset seemed to have a handle on her self levitation as she responded by backing away, avoiding a repeat of their previous clash.

"Do you genuinely believe that dying here, alone, will actually achieve anything?" Sunset replied in that dangerous tone she was now using.

"It takes more than you to kill me. We both know that." Rainbow countered. The more she heard that voice, the easier it was to imagine she was simply facing Nightmare Moon again and boost her confidence. It may have been in the loosest possible sense, but she had beaten her before after all.

"Hah, spoken with the confidence of a lekli. Shame it comes with the strength of a defect."

Before Rainbow could respond to that remark, a sudden beam of yellow magic shot out from somewhere underneath her and struck Sunset in the right shoulder. Even as the unicorn recoiled in pain from the hit, a streak of black crashed into her from behind and knocked her out of the air. Rainbow looked round in shock as she realised that Healing Wave and Flash Sentry had come back for her with Bulwark following close behind. The loyalty she inspired had backfired on her in this instance.

"Captain, we all need to escape!" Wave called up to her. The momentary distraction cost her as Sunset fired mid-fall, catching her in the side of the neck and destroying her armour there.

"Then go! I'm with you!" Rainbow shouted back, moving to try and flee if it meant they would too. A quick glance around showed Flash was above her and sticking close while Bulwark had spun round and was leading the run on the ground, dropping behind slightly but still giving his all.

"You...You DARE!" Sunset snapped as she landed, barely keeping on her hooves.

Without missing a beat she teleported again and reappeared in front of Wave, horn sparking as she gripped her target's neck. Normally the carbonado armour would prevent magic from gaining any purchase but the damage from before was all the opening that was needed. Wave jerked to a halt and fruitlessly started clutching at her neck, trying to angle her horn to fire back. Sunset stared back at her with a satisfied glint in her eyes before her magic twisted, a sickening crack confirming the deed was done. Her magic faded and Wave's body collapsed to the ground, a weak death rattle the only sign of life, one that faded almost instantly.

Rainbow bit back a curse at the sight as she moved skyward to get a better angle. This was why she had wanted the others to keep running. This foe was beyond them and as a result they had lost half their squad in the space of a minute. Even as she managed to overcome the shock of another loss, she could only watch as Sunset lifted her head and fired a sizeable beam of magic at Flash's position. The beam hit the rock face next to him, blasting out chunks of stone that rained down onto the roadway and forcing Rainbow to stop to avoid being caught up in them. A smaller piece hit Flash straight in the head and sent him spiralling toward the ground, seemingly knocked out cold before he crashed hard amongst the rockfall. His armour made it impossible to tell what damage he had suffered but he wasn't moving, and neither of the remaining two ponies could reach him now.

Sunset laughed coldly at the situation before teleporting again, putting herself into Bulwark's path this time. The bulky stallion was better prepared though and broke into a charge the instant he saw her. A volley of hastily fired beams failed to penetrate his chest plates before he was upon her, bringing his left side forward for a shoulder charge. It was the same move he had used to break a changeling line during the battle at Silvat and it was working again. The counter-attack hit hard and knocked Sunset clean off her hooves, throwing her off to the side and landing in an uncontrolled roll against the wall. Bulwark kept moving regardless, deciding that maintaining his momentum was more important in this situation.

Unfortunately his path was taking him straight into the rain of boulders dislodged by the attack on Flash Sentry and within moments he was being forced to slow down in order to dodge the deadly rockslide. The delay allowed Sunset to reorient herself and fire a more focused blast of her magic straight at him. With Bulwark's focus now taken up by avoiding the rocks, he failed to register the incoming attack in time and took a direct hit to the left side of his body, his armour being torn up by the hit. Even if he survived the intensity of the magic, the force of the blow threw his body into the air and flying over the edge of the cliff.

Rainbow Dash hesitated for only the briefest of moments before launching herself into a vertical dive. Although every survival instinct within her was screaming to get to safety while there was still time, she knew that she could never live with herself if she abandoned her friends in a crisis again. Not when she still had a chance to save somepony. Keeping as close to the rock as possible until she was over the cliff was less risky than flying in the open and she was still manoeuvrable enough to make the last second pull up without hitting the ground. As her body straightened up her wings came out for that last burst of speed, trusting that any attacks Sunset Shimmer directed at her in this moment could be outflown.

Right as she began to flap a whine of magic usage rang out from behind her, almost instantly followed by an agonising burning sensation in her left wing. Her body suddenly threw itself into a roll as her only her right wing actually followed through with the flap, flipping her over and spreading the burning along the secondary layers of her back armour and into her right wing. For a few moments, Rainbow realised that she hadn't been fast enough this time before the pain erupted across her entire body and the world went white. In the last moment before she passed out, she could only think of how she had failed her team, and her friends.

With a grunt of relief, Aurora managed to push aside the last of the rocks in his way and stepped into the light again, waving away some lingering dust in the air. Throwing up a maximum strength shield between himself and the mountain he had ended up embedded ten feet deep in had been enough to cushion the impact, reducing it from lethal to merely stunning. As soon as he had recovered his wits he had started to make his way out of the crater he had punched into the slope, his hopes halfway between the others being in the area so he could re-join the fight relatively fresh and them having escaped already.

The view across to the other mountain wasn't promising. From this distance not much could be made out, aside from a minor rockslide that was dropping into the steep valley between the two peaks. Aurora tried not to imagine what might have happened if his friends were caught in it. Seconds later his attention was taken up by a beam of Sunset's magic that shot his way and carved into the slope above him for a few moments, forcing him to duck back into his crash site to avoid any rocks knocked loose. When none came he moved back out, pausing at the sight of something else coming his way.

One of his squadmates, tumbling through the air at a rapid pace with no attempts to right themselves.

As his mind raced to figure out a way to slow them down through their armour he noticed that all three layers had been stripped away along their back, leaving sky blue fur exposed. Was that Rainbow Dash? Why wasn't she flying out of the situation? Aurora drove the questions from his mind and focused on what needed to be done right now. His horn lit up with a white aura that also covered Rainbow's back, using the opening in her broken armour to get underneath it and get a hold on her body. The move paid off and with some effort he was able to slow her landing down enough to come to rest next to him. He quickly checked her over, his heart sinking at what he saw.

Every inch of her armour was scorched badly. The exposed fur on her back had been withered by the heat, the skin underneath lightly burned as well. Her tail armour and the tail itself had been almost completely incinerated, only a few inches at the base surviving. The worst damage was to her wings though...What was left of them. They had both been outright destroyed by Sunset's magic, reduced to a pair of charred black stumps against her body that bled weakly. A quick check with his sensory magic confirmed that she was still alive, but her aura was weaker than usual. He didn't know just how bad it was, only that he needed to her away from the fighting.

As Aurora got up to move the two of them out the sound of teleportation behind him made him spin round and bring up his magic once again. He'd barely finished the turn before a concentrated beam crashed against his shield, forcing him to dig his hooves into the dirt for grip. Sunset had clearly decided to be thorough about this. Even now she was pouring more of her magic into the attack, forcing him to ramp up the strength he was committing to the shield in turn. Even through the headache that was starting to form from using so much magic so quickly, Aurora knew from the files he'd read that he was at the disadvantage in this situation. Even without the power amplifier Sunset seemed to have, she was more magically adept than he was, and putting less pressure on her mind by expending magic rather than maintaining it.

Right now however, his first priority was getting the unconscious Rainbow Dash away from the line of fire. His hooves dug into the crater harder and he managed to take a step toward Sunset before moving to the side. As he'd hoped, she turned to follow his movements. The duelling unicorns slowly circled each other, trying to drag out their deadly game of attrition for as long as possible. Aurora knew that he was going to lose soon though. At this point he was having to put so much energy and focus into keeping his shield up that it was a challenge to do anything else. Not to mention he was burning through his magic reserves at an alarming rate and couldn't see how his opponent was doing through the magic dissipating against his defences. His vision was starting to go hazy and his head felt like it was about to split in two from all the energy coursing through it. Changing tactics now would hurt, but anything was preferable to this.

As soon as he was facing away from where he'd started, Aurora ended his magic and threw a hoof up to cover his eyes. Sunset's assault overwhelmed his shield within moments and engulfed him, the intense energy chewing into his armour. He grunted and staggered but managed to stay upright, praying that the attack didn't last much longer. Despite all his expectations, after several seconds the magic suddenly halted and he was able to drop his hoof and take a breath. His armour had been even more scorched than Rainbow's and was smouldering in places, but he knew that it would have been a lot worse if his visor had been damaged. Even his tail was only singed after he'd tucked it against his leg without thinking at some point.

"How? How could somepony like you survive that?!" Sunset snapped. Her body was shaking slightly from the exertion of such heavy magic use but worryingly, she still looked like she could go for another round.

"My father," Aurora panted. In contrast he was almost completely drained mentally, the strain affecting him physically too. Standing, breathing and talking all at once was a challenge and his vision was a haze. "Shield magic, is his specialty."

Sunset stared him down for several moments before a grin spread across her face. Then she laughed. A cold, mocking laugh of victory that rang in Aurora's ears. He understood the reaction: It was because that had been his secret to survival, a magic specialty passed down his family. With the current situation, that secret would be useless if she decided to kill him...When she decided to kill him. As he tried to steady himself for the inevitable final stand, his ears twitched at a new sound. The communication magic in his ear armour, damaged and full of static, but audible.

"-sh! Kid! Inc...g!"

It took a moment to register in his exhausted mind but then he realised; That was Flash Sentry's voice!

Aurora looked back toward the other mountain in time to see Flash rocketing toward his his position, still fully armoured, seemingly no worse for wear despite whatever had been happening. Sunset noticed his look and turned herself, just in time to be tackled with the force and intensity of a torpedo. The momentum sent the two of them flying into the crater Aurora had made, the fight moving out of sight.

"Flash!" Aurora called weakly, pushing himself into stepping forward with energy he didn't realise he had left.

"I saw your magic when I woke up," Flash called, clearly fighting for his life in the tight confines. "Listen, don't worry about me. If Rainbow dies then we lose our best line of defence. Get her out of here! NOW!!"

As much as he was torn between the two ponies he needed to help, Aurora knew that he had a point. Rainbow might be dying even now and the Elements of Harmony would need her help. He kept going on shaky hooves and reached her body. It took all his strength to get her on his back and the fact they were nearly the same size didn't help. He could hear the sound of magic fire erupting from the battle behind him but couldn't bring himself to look back. With every last ounce of his remaining magic he put his destination to the forefront of his mind and teleported the two of them out.

It was hard to tell if they'd even arrived with how unfocused his eyes were but after a few moments they cleared enough to show three figures ahead and above. One white, one purple, one dark blue. Without anything left in him he could only just force himself to address the princesses before exhaustion overtook him.

"Your highness...Mission failed..."

Chapter 12 - When All You Have is Each Other...

October 23rd

Canterlot had never looked so fragile. Ponies carrying on as though nothing was wrong, although a number of them had to have their suspicions by now. Yet all of them were still hanging in the balance. Them and all sapient life in Equestria. No, across the continent...Maybe even the planet.

Princess Celestia stood silently as she watched the city from a private balcony fitted behind the throne room. Normally she would have retired to the Solar Point for such ruminations, but the climb would take too much out of Luna at this point. She shivered slightly at the mere thought. The younger princess had been doing her best to act like nothing had changed over the past week, attending the royal court where possible and insisting on updates on military matters. It was getting harder and harder to tell ponies that Luna simply had the feather flu and was being stubborn about remaining a leader though. Not with how she was steadily looking weaker and weaker with every passing day. How both of them were.

"Sister?"

Celestia looked back as Luna slowly stepped out of the castle, taking in the view as well. Her movements were lethargic, her coat had paled further and her eyes were slightly sunken. Despite it all, there was still a strength of will visible in her movements. An unyielding determination not to give up, no matter how impossible things looked for her.

"Luna, what are you doing out here? It's cold." Celestia said softly, moving a little closer and bringing a wing out to shield her from the wind.

"I, needed a reminder. Of what I'm fighting for." Luna replied, her gaze slowly drifting over Canterlot and off into the distance where Ponyville was just about visible through the clear skies.

"What we're all fighting for."

Luna nodded at Celestia's words. As she looked up at her sister though, there was a hint of solemnness in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Concern that she could only show when it was just the two of them. When they were able to be siblings rather than rulers.

"I, also know about the news. But I had to hear it from you," She admitted after several seconds. "I hate not being strong enough to come to every meeting...Is it true? About Rarity?"

"I'm afraid so," Celestia replied, looking down sadly. "She will recover in time. But until then, the power of the Elements of Harmony has been neutralised. They will have to rely upon more conventional measures."

Luna placed a hoof against her forehead and closed her eyes at the news. It was impossible to tell just how badly she was taking it. After a few moments she inhaled sharply and leaned against the balcony railing, sinking back onto her haunches. Celestia realised that she was starting to suffer from the early effects of lekli withdrawal and moved closer, focusing her magic. A thin strand of her golden aura snaked from the tip of her horn to Luna's chest, right over her heart, steadily changing from yellow to blue as it moved. The transfer of magic like this put a lot of stress on Celestia, but such a concentrated spell was the only way to keep Luna stable and alive without Tantabus keeping her soul whole.

After two full minutes the connection ended. Celestia almost staggered backward from the effort, biting back a groan of pain. Though she managed to hold herself steady, she looked as though it had taken more of a toll on her than her sister. Her eyes looked exhausted and her mane momentarily stilled before resuming its natural flow.

"I would have been alright for a few more hours." Luna said, offering a wing for balance. One that was taken as Celestia fully steadied herself.

"I'm sorry," Celestia straightened up quickly, making sure nopony else had seen that moment of weakness. "I just-"

"Worry about me, I know. I do appreciate it...Everything you do for me, really. I just don't want you to burn yourself out for me when you still have hundreds of thousands of other ponies to watch out for."

Celestia nodded sadly and looked back out at Canterlot. It was true that she couldn't afford to make biased decisions when they could affect everypony in Equestria and if the worst came to pass...It wouldn't be the first time she had raised the moon alone. It didn't make it any easier to think about though. Privately, she still wasn't sure if she could make that decision when, if, the time came.

"It won't come to that," She finally replied, trying to convince herself as much as Luna. "Twilight is likely poring through the restricted section of the Canterlot Archives as we speak, creating the spells needed. If anypony can find a way to stop Tantabus while saving you and Sunset Shimmer, it's her."

Luna smiled and nodded, looking more relaxed as she leaned on the railing again. The fact that she could still find a way to smile in the face of such a significant danger to her lit a fresh spark somewhere inside Celestia. She couldn't afford to let her worries get the better of her either. Not when any weakness or hesitance could see her lose her sister and leave her as the last alicorn. They still stood together and would continue to do so until the end. One way or another.

"Okay, one more try."

She hardly heard the whirring when her wings spread out anymore. It was a part of her now and she had accepted that. Besides, there was so much she wanted to compare between her old wings and her metal ones. Assuming she could keep herself controlled long enough to use them.

Rainbow Dash rolled her shoulders and glanced round to make sure she was in clear space. Ever since her bandages had been removed she'd been free to move around the hospital, healing magic and further medical treatments reducing the formally scathing pain to a dull ache in her back. A garden area in the central grounds had been perfect for her to get used to her new wings, not many ponies went there at any one time and there was minimal chance of breaking anything important. Getting the hang of her wings in this practice ground had proved simple, actually getting anywhere was another matter. Most ponies would have considered her progress rapid already, but she wanted to go further. If she was getting discharged soon she wanted to be as capable of helping her friends as possible, and that started with having the basics figured out.

She launched herself up with a quick jump, getting into a stable hover about a dozen feet off the ground. That was the easy part. Attempting anything more usually resulted in her flipping over backward and crashing down. She couldn't understand why, she wasn't flying any differently with these things than she had before. She shook her head and focused again, pushing herself forward into flight...And immediately flipping over again. She barely had time to close her eyes and roll herself over to land on her front before coming down hard, momentarily stunning herself with the impact.

"Dammit!" Rainbow snapped in frustration as she slammed a hoof down on the mound she'd landed on. What was so different about this? They were just wings, something she'd used her whole life. The frustration was enough to make a pony go-

"Ow." The mound hissed in pain. Rainbow opened to eyes quickly at that to see that what she'd thought was a dirt pile was too soft. And yellow.

"Fluttershy?"

"Not just her." Scootaloo's voice came from behind her.

Rainbow glanced aside to her hoof, realising that she'd punched Fluttershy in the shoulder in addition to landing on her. She quickly pushed herself off her friend and took Scootaloo's offered hoof to stand up again.

"S-sorry! I was having a moment, I didn't know you were coming!" Rainbow stammered as she turned to help Fluttershy up.

"It's alright. We were trying to make it a surprise. Maybe a bit too hard," Fluttershy replied, rubbing her shoulder once she was back on her hooves. "Are you ok?"

"According to the doctors, I'm good," Rainbow stretched slightly and managed a small grin. "I mean, I bounced back from being tortured by Chrysalis herself and that was way worse than this. I'm just having a bit of trouble getting the hang of the new wings."

"You sound just like Twilight did after becoming an alicorn." Scootaloo chuckled, walking round to get a good look at the bionic wings as Rainbow flexed them slightly.

"Yeah...But I'm also getting an idea of what it must have been like for you, squirt," Rainbow admitted, suddenly straightening up and looking away awkwardly. "Knowing what you're capable of, not being able to reach it."

"It wasn't forever though. With some help, but I still made it. And if I've got the awesomest big sister in Equestria, I'm sure she can get back in the air even faster than me. New wings or not."

"Well it's not the getting into the air that's a problem," Rainbow explained, putting herself back into a hover to demonstrate. "It's getting anywhere with them that's the problem."

"Oh dear," Fluttershy mused quietly as she watched. "Well, we could stay a while and help you try to find a way through it. Or at least, to catch you properly this time."

"Thanks. I appreciate both." Rainbow relaxed slightly at those words, watching as Scootaloo took off next to her, taking another look at the wings in motion.

"So, this is just a thought," She commented thoughtfully. "But are they heavier than the usual wings?"

"Well, yeah. Of course," Rainbow told her as she looked back at them, sounding a little put out. "Can't deny that Moondancer did amazing work, but there's just no way metal could be lighter than feathers."

"And you're flying just like you used to, right?"

"Yeah...Scootaloo, is this going anywhere?"

"It actually sounds similar to how Quick Fix helped me," Scootaloo said as she nodded. "Not the last time he has either. At a guess, your center of gravity is much higher on your body due to how heavy your wings are now, or more backward in your current position."

"That does make sense," Fluttershy added, putting a hoof to her chin as she thought through it. "When foals are learning to fly, their wings are much smaller so they usually end up going over forwards at first, like the opposite of this. Mist Chaser went through it all the time when he was just starting to learn."

"How'd you know that?" Rainbow asked Scootaloo in surprise.

"Like I said, it's kinda similar to what I was going through before Quick helped me. When I was trying to fly I was using my wings like I did on my scooter. Completly wrong, that took months to fix with how my wing muscles were. You just need to adjust how you fly a little. Try leaning yourself forward more when start moving."

Rainbow looked down for a moment as the thought about it. She'd been so focused on getting herself back to a hundred percent as quickly as possible that she hadn't really thought about the obvious need to adjust. Just an assumption that she could push herself hard enough to keep going like always. Hearing it laid out like that though...She nodded and moved into clear space before pushing herself into forward flight again. This time she was ready, angling her body lower to counter the extra lift. It worked and she held relatively steady, managing a slow but complete lap around the garden area.

"He-hey, there we go!" She exclaimed happily, pumping the air in triumph as she stopped by Scootaloo again.

"Woo! There's the Rainbow Dash we know." Fluttershy cheered, smiling more as Rainbow brought Scootaloo back to the ground with her and pulled them both into a hug.

"You have no idea how badly I needed this breakthrough," She said warmly, holding them both close. "Thank you, thank you both. I owe you for this one."

"Well in that case..." Scootaloo leaned back and tapped one of her sister's wings. "How about we make these a little more your style? I'm no judge on what's cool at the moment but grey really isn't your colour."

Pinkie Pie hummed a tuneless melody to herself as she trotted through Twilight's castle. For the first time in weeks, she found herself with some free time and nothing to do. Apple Bloom was at Sweet Apple Acres to help her siblings catch up with the harvest, Pound and Pumpkin Cake didn't need any help at Sugarcube Corner right now and almost everypony else was busy on some Tantabus-related task. It was just her and her thoughts for now, lots of little things had been running around unchecked up here and messing up the pie-ling system. It was different to when she had been younger, just running with such thoughts when and however they came. Now she had more constant responsibilities. She hadn't even had time to throw a party for a full week.

Just as she was coming to a decision on trying to find the old party cannons she'd originally left hidden around the castle, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of quiet speaking coming from a room she was passing. She quickly backed up to the door and peered inside. The room itself was just a spare for miscellaneous things to be kept, but a small space had been cleared in the center for a square table and chair. Peace Walker was sat there, side on from the door, in the same position as she had been when they had met at the hospital. A lit candle and a picture frame were on the table before her. Though she couldn't see the picture from this angle, the posture and general atmosphere made Pinkie realise that Peace was engaged in a prayer of some kind. She stayed silent as a result.

"Hii Muss, non sàh-me," Peace said in Minotaur, leaning forward slightly as she switched back to Equestrian. "Guide this warrior to his station on the sacred isle. May the gods watch over him where I cannot follow, until the day we, and any who may join me, are reunited. Let Bulwark's tale be told to the ancient heroes and judged accordingly...I'll keep my promise. I'll keep working through it and if I'm lucky, I'll find somepony to follow us. Goodbye, my love..."

A few tears rolled down Peace's cheeks and dropped onto the table as she raised her head and brought it up to the candle. After a few moments of hesitation she slowly blew it out, wiping more tears away. It was such a stark contrast to the firm, determined mare she usually was that Pinkie didn't know how to react.

"Thank you for being respectful," Peace eventually said, looking over at Pinkie. "Most ponies don't understand how important my beliefs are and interrupt them."

"I understand. Everypony needs something that keeps them going," Pinkie replied gently, walking in and sitting down next to her. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what was that prayer for?"

"You're interested?" Peace looked at Pinkie warily even as she nodded, but didn't press the point further. "That was the warrior's rite of farewell. Bulwark had asked that I conduct one for him if he was killed in action, along with his funeral at the Memorial Forest. It serves to see the departed one off to the sacred Isle of the Dead, as well as allow their mate to be freed from the binding of unity, so they may take another partner if they so desire."

Pinkie nodded again and looked over at the picture. Now she could see it clearly she wasn't surprised by the choice. It was of Bulwark and Peace together in their hometown of Trottingham, some years ago judging by how much younger she looked in the picture. From the look of it, it had been taken shortly after Bulwark's acceptance into the Equestria Defence Force, judging by how Peace was wearing a helmet too big for her and giving him a loving kiss on the cheek. The fact they looked so happy, how pained she looked to be without him, hurt to see. Pinkie placed a hoof on Peace's shoulder, saying nothing as the grieving mare shrugged away.

"Do you?"

"Maybe. I don't know," Peace admitted, rubbing her eyes and staring down at the damp hoof. "We never had foals, but I'm not sure if I could meet another stallion as understanding or determined as he was."

"There are a lot of understanding mares too." It wasn't the most subtle move, but Pinkie Pie had never been a subtle mare. Peace caught onto the angle she was going for and sighed sadly.

"Look, Pinkie, I'm sorry if I've seemed hostile toward you and Apple Bloom, or toward your relationship. Even when I wasn't brainwashed. It's not personal, it's just...Did Bloom ever tell you about what we went through in Starlight's compound?"

"Nope. She said that it wouldn't be right if it was told before you were okay with it."

"Huh, didn't expect that," Peace mused as she rested her head on her hooves, taking a long breath as she decided just what she wanted to say. Pinkie stayed by her side, doing her best to show that she wouldn't judge, no matter what. "Starlight Glimmer was...Is, insane. She was brutal to the ponies that Sunset Shimmer brought in because she knew they'd never remember any of it once she was done. It was even worse if anypony resisted in anyway. I talked back firmly and she got invasive for nothing more than her own amusement. I suffered..."

Peace paused and looked down again, searching for the right word. Pinkie stared at her during the wait, lost for words. She had understood the implication, seeing Peace press her hind legs together and pull her tail between them confirmed it. While she understood that Starlight hadn't been in her right mind back then and that she clearly regretted her actions, it was hard to overlook an incredibly messed up action like that. She suddenly understood why she had shunned the hoof on her shoulder just then.

"...Indignities?" She suggested gently. Peace looked over at her blankly for a few moments before looking forward again.

"Indignities. I had a brief moment of freedom in the aftermath, while my memories were a mess from the counter spell. Now though, I couldn't even handle being hugged by my husband without fighting to avoid being touched. I can still be the one to start it but...Yeah."

"It's okay," Pinkie said as she glanced over toward the picture again. She knew that it was anything but, but she wouldn't be who she was if she didn't try to cheer her up. "What made you want to tell me this now?"

"Because," Peace pushed her head off her hooves and looked at Pinkie firmly. "I didn't want you to think I hated either of you, or that I was homophobic."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I get that two mares could bring up some bad memories for you. If it helps, I can talk to Apple Bloom and make sure we don't do anything that'd bother you."

"I appreciate the thought, I really do, but no. This is something I'm going to try and work through myself. I'm not going to force others to curb their happiness until then."

"But, you deserve to be happy too." Pinkie leaned forward slightly as she said those words, her serious posture running opposite to her kind voice. Peace stared at her for a moment before nodding and flashing a thankful smile. Even as she did though, she sat back in her chair, her eyes betraying a remaining tension and wistfulness.

"I'll be happy when nopony has to be in this seat again. Until Tantabus and all her evil is just a bad memory."

"We're not tagging along, if that's what you're worried about." Aurora told Deep Note as they passed through the gates to Sweet Apple Acres, Quick Fix following close behind.

"So, why are you both here?" Deep asked in turn, glancing back at Quick. The earth stallion looked a lot better than he had at the Tree of Harmony, but there was still an undeniably stressed look to him.

"Well, Applejack said there were a few out of the way areas in the orchard we could use. Some kind of relaxation methods or, whatever we need." Quick explained, sounding a little lost.

"Don't sound so worried. Remember who you're with." Aurora told him reassuringly. Quick nodded and relaxed slightly, trotting a little quicker to keep up.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. I know I need to get back up to speed before whatever we're up against next happens and I want to make sure I can do it."

Deep opened his mouth to say there was no shame in backing out, only to be stopped as Aurora discreetly nudged him. It took a moment for him to realise why, but he realised from what he'd seen of Quick so far, trying to convince him off a path he'd set himself on wouldn't help at all. After a few moments the other two stallions made their farewells and headed off down a separate pathway, leaving Deep to continue toward the farmhouse alone.

As he made his way through the trees, a quiet sense of familiarity washed over the pegasus. It was his first time back on the farm since the previous winter, when he had first met Applejack while using his 'Windhover' alias and Bounty had started realising what he was. Most of the SAA team was still there from what he had heard: Aside from AJ and Big Mac there was still the giant of a mare that was Little Hayseed, the cold yet committed Arboreal, and Apple Bloom was currently filling the gap left by Bounty. That thought stung a little more, making him wonder if coming here was the right decision. He shook the doubt away quickly though and pressed onward. It wouldn't feel right to just go without making sure Applejack was doing alright.

As he reached the main farm he paused for a moment. Applejack was by the barn, unhitching herself from half dozen carts full of apples she had been hauling. She looked like she'd hardly broken a sweat, another indicator of her sheer strength. Even from this distance Deep could make out her muscles, toned and tensed as she gave her legs a quick check over. The sight sparked something familiar in his heart and he trotted forward quickly, waving with a wing when she noticed him.

"Howdy, Deep. What's up?" Applejack asked. It was pretty clear that something was distracting her and he had a good idea what it might be. What two things, possibly.

"Well I had some free time and, well I wanted to make sure you were holding up ok. After everything that's happened I mean."

Deep cringed internally at how awkwardly that had come out. If Applejack had noticed, she didn't say anything.

"It ain't been easy," She admitted, getting out of her harness fully and walking down the line of carts to fit blocks behind the wheels. "I thought ah'd shed my lifetime of tears after mom and dad were gone but...To lose a pony you care about so much, comin' so close to losing two..."

"I can only imagine." He replied, grabbing a few blocks and doing the same on the other side.

"An' the difficulties we'd had between the three of us didn't help at all. Ah knew it would be harder to choose between the two of ya without hurting anypony than choosing between prime apple cider and Berry Punch's homemade wines. I never wanted the decision to be made for me though."

"I ah, err...Yeah." Deep fumbled for words, not knowing what to say in this situation. While the animosity between him and Bounty over their feelings for Applejack had never been truly healed, he too would have preferred a civilised resolution rather than one being forced upon them all.

"Deep, d'you mind if I ask something a mite personal?" Applejack asked as she walked into the barn, waiting until he was back along side her and nodding before she continued. "Does all this affect how you feel about me?"

He stared at her for a moment, still struggling for what he wanted to say. It quickly came to him though. He was still talking to the representation of honesty, he owed her the same courtesy.

"No," He finally replied, looking her in the eyes. "I still think you're a beautiful, amazing mare strong enough to take every shot the world can throw at her and remain standing, even as everything burns around her. No matter if you just see me as a friend to help you stay upright or a stallion you want to let face the fire with you, I'll be doing my best to support you."

Applejack simply nodded and went to sit down on a hay bale. Deep did the same, not wanting to press the issue too much. How was she going to react to that? Was it too soon after everything that had happened? His thoughts and concerns quickly whirled up like a hurricane inside his mind, briefly freezing him in place. It wasn't until he realised that she had finished thinking and was looking over to him that he composed himself enough to relax again.

"Thanks, sugarcube," She told him, smiling reassuringly. "Ah mean with everything there could be, everything I'm not sure is real or not, I don't really have a clue what I want to do yet. Guess that means ah'm just gonna have to keep ya safe until I make up my mind."

"As will I. Won't help either of us if something happened to you before you decide." Deep replied, smiling back.

Applejack offered a hoof out to him and he bumped it with a wing, both of them feeling a little better about their situation. It may not have been said, but they instinctively knew. They would help each other come to terms with their losses. Watch each others backs in this crisis. One way or another, they now had a bond as strong as any she had forged before. That was all they needed right now. Something to remember, and to look forward to.

Chapter 20 - Flying Forward

Ponyville
November 1st

For the first time since its inception, nopony in Ponyville had celebrated Nightmare Night. Half of Equestria already seemed to be trapped in an unrelenting nightmare already, even those away from the fighting were starting to feel its effects. A cloudless night had passed like any other, the stars above shining as though nothing had changed in the land they silently watched over. Those that knew however, could only see it as an illusion of peace. The guardian of the night was unable to perform her duty, her dream realm defenceless against the fears that lurked within pony hearts and minds. And there was more to fear with every passing day. The best many ponies could do at this point was to put everything they could into their waking hours and supress those fears as much as possible.

Such thoughts had remained in Rainbow Dash's mind for days on end, worsening the ceaseless concern over how many more of her friends wouldn't be lucky enough to come out of this. If she wouldn't be lucky enough. The night of the attack on Ponyville still haunted her weaker moments. The memory of her surrogate sister crying uncontrollably into her chest, of her distraught expression as she vainly tried to revive her mother. She had wanted to say that the same wouldn't happen again, that Scootaloo's father would still be alive after all this, that she would. But after a day as harrowing as that, how could she look anypony in the eye and tell such a hollow lie?

At the very least, she was comforted by the fact that Scootaloo had found a safe outlet for her emotions. In the calm days since the attack, the two of them had met up every afternoon, taken to the skies over Ponyville and engaged in a series of high-velocity stunt flights to take their minds off things. It doubled as a chance for Rainbow to give her wings a proper test and make sure her fitness hadn't been affected, while allowing Scootaloo to engage in the flights she had been denied for so many years. They had extended an invitation to the other flyers in the group, but Fluttershy didn't want to slow them down and Twilight was never in the mood to try and relax these days. Even if that thought bothered Rainbow, she could still be free of her concerns for a short while.

Now that she was back in the skies, her thoughts could focus on her flight for the day over everything else. The ever-welcome sensation of wind rushing around her, senses working overtime to ensure she could take the route laid out, even the whirring of her wings as they made minor shifts in position was a positive to her. Sure they were a little heavier and more taxing than her natural ones, but they reacted almost exactly like she expect them to. She couldn't push them quite as hard, but simply being able to fly again was a relief she hadn't realised just how badly she'd needed.

"You ok sis?" Scootaloo's voice called from behind her. She looked back to see the younger mare pulling up on her left side, gliding alongside her.

"Yeah, it's not like you to zone out like that." Deep Note's voice came from her other side. She'd gotten so caught up in her thoughts that she'd forgotten that he'd agreed to come along with them this time. That was a sure sign that she was overthinking it. It was time to scale down her thought process and focus just on what she was here to do.

"Sorry, just a lot on my mind," She admitted, looking down at the lands below them. They were flying north-east of Ponyville by now, over a hilly area that led toward the Foal Mountains. "Alright, we're on course in ten seconds. Follow my lead."

The others nodded and dropped back behind her, Deep trailing back slightly and Scoots following behind her. Rainbow grinned slightly to herself as the fact that she was leading relaxed her further. For a brief moment, she imagined herself as back with the Wonderbolts, leading her squadmates through daring manoeuvres like they had been born knowing them. Those days were long gone now. Even if she fully adapted to her bionic wings, she knew that she likely wouldn't be able to match their skill anymore. That was a lesser mentioned part of the team's strength though, knowing when the right time was to step aside and let new legends begin their journey. Soarin had done it before her and he'd done well with his life afterward. She would too.

Plus it left her time for things like this.

Rainbow rolled onto her back and dropped into a fast dive, closing her eyes and letting all her concerns be blown away in the rushing air. A quick glance skyward confirmed the other two were following her and another downward showed they were headed straight for one of the higher hills. Her wings flared open with thirty feet to spare and she pulled up enough to fly parallel to the hillside, spinning slightly as she pulled around the next hill in front of her. She could hear her wings creak slightly from the g-forces but Moondancer had assured her that they'd been through worse during stress testing. She didn't need to hold back.

At this speed each hill came seconds after the last, her body twisting and weaving as she pushed herself around and over them at lightning speed. On each maneuverer her ears flicked backward, listening out for any indication that her wingponies were having trouble with the course. They seemed to be doing alright though, not surprising considering she'd chosen an easier route for today. One thing she was still learning was how to judge how close she was getting to the ground with her wings. Feathers were highly sensitive to objects in their vicinity, to the point that she had sometimes brushed the ground while in flight just to guess how many blades of grass she had felt. Her new wings offered no such benefit, but that was such a small detail compared to what they gave back to her.

Before she knew it the hills were behind her and she was pulling back into the cloudless sky. After a few hundred feet she stopped and swung around to check on the others. Scootaloo was just pulling up behind her while Deep was trailing slightly, looking winded in comparison to the other two.

"D-damn, you were really pushing it back there." Deep panted as he rejoined them, looking round on the off chance there was a stray cloud to have a breather on. He wasn't that lucky today.

"Awww, that was nothing," Scootaloo told him as she offered a hoofbump, one that he returned after a moment. "Rainbow could do something like that in her sleep."

"I used to, sure," Rainbow admitted, chuckling slightly at how surprised her sister looked at that admission. "Really though, I'm more impressed by you two. Deep, the fact you could keep up at that speed was really good. Scoots, your stamina is really coming along. You keep that up and you might have to switch out the scooter for a flight suit."

"Thanks, but you're still leaving us in the dust," Scootaloo countered. "You're probably even ready to join in next time Tantabus makes a move."

"Well..." Rainbow glanced back at her wings for several seconds before looking at the others with renewed vigour. "I'm not going to throw myself into danger for nothing more than payback. But it would be nice to get back into the action."

"You might have your chance." Deep commented, pointing back toward Ponyville.

Rainbow and Scootaloo followed his gaze, tensing in anticipation of the worst. To their relief, there was no sign of immediate trouble anywhere in sight. The only difference between the view now and when they had left was a flare of white magic hovering in front of Twilight's Castle. All three of them shared a quick look before moving to fly back as quick as they could. As they approached the castle, the sight of Aurora standing at the foot of the main steps put them all at further ease. He was the one casting the flare and from the look on his face, it was merely to attract attention.

"Ah, that worked," Aurora commented as the pegasi landed in front of him, ending the spell he'd been using and dissipating the flare. "I wasn't sure if you'd be near enough to see it."

"Wasn't easy," Rainbow admitted as she folded her wings back in, ears twitching slightly as the whirring faded. "So what's going on?"

"Twilight's called for a meeting. I'm pretty sure she's got a new plan for dealing with Tantabus."

"You mean it really could be over soon?" Scootaloo asked hopefully. Aurora's horn lit up for the briefest of moments, his eyes paling the same way, before he looked over at her and smiled.

"I hope so."

In her heart, Trixie knew that she had only gotten this far through the actions of others and a lot of luck.

Twelve other ponies had been with her in the map room when everypony had gathered to stand for Equestria. Less than a fortnight later, only eight remained. She had fought and risked so much alongside them, yet had been helpless to save Rarity and Bounty. The only reason she hadn't been killed too was down to Starlight's intervention. Another pony who wasn't able to continue. How many more wouldn't be sitting here before this was over? Either another fallen pony, one left crippled or even ending up like Quick Fix, too broken by the pressure to keep standing. The more she thought about it...

"Trixie, You okay? Everypony's almost here."

Trixie shook her head slightly as she was pulled from her thoughts, blinking quickly as the map room came back into focus around her. She'd been so caught up in them that she had almost flopped down against the map without realising. She straightened up and looked round to see who else was there. Twilight was nowhere to be seen, but Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had taken their seats. Pinkie Pie and Rarity's remained empty. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Deep Note were waiting around the other side of the map, while Peace Walker was the one checking on her.

"Hmmm? Yes I, ah," Trixie stammered, trying to regain her composure but only managing to fluster herself further. "Trixie was just, mulling over any further magic she knows that might be of help. Yes."

"Hey, I've seen that look in your eyes before," Peace replied, her voice dropping to a surprisingly gentle tone. "That stressed concern. I've worn that look more times than I care to admit."

"You...Really?" Trixie asked with sudden, cautious concern in her voice. Peace nodded and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Yeah. Come find me after the meeting and we'll talk through it, see if we can find something to make you feel better from it. Okay?"

Trixie nodded and patted Peace's shoulder in thanks. Before she could reply, the door to the foyer opened and Twilight entered the room, flanked by Spike and Aurora. She looked as though she'd been up half the night on one of her study sessions, but there was an energy to her movements that showed the truth. She was fixated on her objective, to the point that the atmosphere around her was slightly...Unnerving. Her expression tightened into one of harsh determination as she moved round to her throne and flapped onto it, not making eye contact with anypony. Spike remained by her side while Aurora hung back slightly and closed his eyes, studying everypony's reactions through his magic.

"Thank you all for coming," Twilight started as she looked around at everypony, sighing sadly to herself before continuing. "It's been an extremely tough few days for everypony and the fact all of you are still here means more than I can say."

"We made a promise that we would, I'm going to stick to it." Sweetie Belle replied, sounding unusually serious.

"Err, we did?" Apple Bloom chimed in after a moment. Sweetie shot her a glance but said nothing.

"I finally have some good news," Twilight continued, cutting any further discussion off. "Collaboration between myself, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna over the past few days has started to show results. Although it hasn't been finalised yet, I feel confident in saying that we have almost everything we need to stop Tantabus now."

"Can you define what'cha mean by 'almost everything'?" Applejack asked while everypony else was still absorbing the information.

"We have managed to create the spell guaranteed to separate Tantabus from Sunset Shimmer, returning it to Luna while giving Sunset Shimmer a chance of surviving the procedure."

"Oh. Only a chance?" Fluttershy said quietly, drawing everypony's attention. "Not to sound critical, but can you give Sunset a better chance? She's as much a victim as everypony else."

"We're still working on improving her odds in such a..." Spike started, glancing over at Twilight. It was subtle, but he could tell there was a scowl on her face. "Limited time. Trust me, her likelihood of surviving something like this was zero a few days ago."

"Exactly. That gives us one of the two main things we need." Twilight added as she leaned forward and tapped a hoof against the edge of the table.

After a few moments the map flared into existence again, everyone focusing on it. It was somewhat soothing to see that, for all the chaos that the continent had endured, everything still looked peaceful as far as the map was concerned. Twilight got up in her throne and placed her front hooves on the map as the studied it more closely.

"That brings us onto the other thing we need," She continued. "Namely, finding out exactly where Tantabus is hiding. Aurora?"

"I'm afraid I don't have anything new to go on," Aurora said as he opened his eyes and stepped up to the map. "Commander Night Glider has been running the EDF scout teams at maximum efficiency in an attempt to narrow down Tantabus' hiding spot, only to keep coming up with nothing. At this point, I theorise that either Tantabus has surmised we're attempting this and is moving in time to avoid our searches, or she's hiding outside of Equestria's borders."

There were murmurs among the group as they quietly took in this thought and made their initial comments to each other. Trixie looked unnerved, even taking a step back from the map. Deep's expression remained neutral, but his eyes betrayed a sense of conflicting emotions. Applejack momentarily glanced over at the pegasus before turning to Sweetie Belle, offering some extra support to her alongside Apple Bloom. Aurora looked round at them all and focused himself internally, feeling out through his magic to gauge their real reactions. Like when he had come in, there was still a clash of fear and hope swirling throughout the room. It was much more intense than before though, and there was now an undercurrent of anger emanating from Peace Walker, and Twilight.

He wished he wasn't surprised to feel it.

"I think it's more likely to be the latter," He continued, drawing everyone's attention back to himself and calming the situation. "If we put our heads together as we go over each spot, I think we can narrow it down further."

"Good idea," Twilight commented, sounding like she had her emotions under control. That or she was really good at faking it. "Where should we start?"

"Over here," Aurora moved around to Fluttershy's chair and pointed to the land in front of it that led off the map. "The Undiscovered West. That-"

"Wouldn't be possible," Rainbow Dash interrupted, getting up quickly and leaning over toward him. "The changelings of Outlani have been patrolling that area for months. They've got scouts combing the mountains inside and out, intercepting any stragglers from Chrysalis' rogue hive."

"Could she have slipped past them?" Deep suggested.

"Unlikely," Aurora told him, moving to the south side of the map. "The area is extremely difficult to move through on hoof, not without giving yourself away. Even if she made it into Outlani, Ambassadors Outreach, Apple Tart and Water Flare are the only ponies there at present. If somepony else had entered uninvited, we would have heard about it by now."

"So we can rule that out on our first pass. Where next?" Scootaloo said as she jumped into a hover next to Rainbow's chair, moving over the map to look closer.

"Well, there's two possible areas in the south. First, the Arimaspi territory in the west. The most dangerous region in the known world, which would make it perfect if a safe spot existed somewhere within it. Alternatively, the Forbidden Jungle in the east; Threats somepony as strong as Sunset could handle and a lot harder to search. Of course, that would have required her to get to either of them in the first place."

"Wait, what about here?" Peace asked, pointing across the map. Aurora followed her hoof and his eyes widened slightly as he saw where it was pointing at. The Badlands of the south-east.

"Well...It's possible. The scouts investigating the area only went as far as the perimeter. I can't see it though, it's too exposed. The only landmark is a six mile wide crater surrounded by a hundred miles of nothing in every direction."

"It's also so thick with traces of dark magic that unicorns can taste it in the air," Peace told him, waiting for Aurora to think that point through before continuing. "If Tantabus is using magic anything like she did as Nightmare Moon, she's got a LOT more of that power to work with by holding up in that area. Not to mention it's a huge area to cover and-"

"She's returned home..." Twilight suddenly spoke, dawning realisation in her eyes.

Everyone looked at her at the same time. Applejack, Rainbow and Fluttershy all had varying degrees of understanding on their faces, Aurora and Spike nodding thoughtfully. Everypony else looked completely lost at her words though. Twilight paid no mind to them as she stood up fully, looking more determined than anypony had seen her in some time.

"There's no further time to be wasted," She said as she got off her throne. "I need to get there right now and bring her in before she hurts anypony else. Just-"

"Wait!" Fluttershy suddenly snapped, her exclamation stopping Twilight before she could leave. "You don't even know if she is there. Even if she is, you're not emotionally fit to do this alone. If you go now and something happens, all we're going to get is another situation like Ponyville. One where you wont be there to help us!"

The atmosphere in the room changed in an instant. Twilight tensed up and looked back at Fluttershy, looking like she was biting back her frustration. The two of them stared each other down for several long seconds, seeming silently daring the other to react first. Spike, Rainbow, Scootaloo and Peace were between their chairs and all looking between the two as if gauging whether they would need to intervene. Everyone remained silent for several more seconds before Twilight sighed and sat back down.

"I know. I know," She said quietly, the fight suddenly seeming to drain from her. "I'm just...I'm scared of losing anypony else."

"It's okay, Twilight," Spike told her gently, moving closer and placing a hand on her shoulder. "None of us can probably even imagine what it must feel like, all those lives weighing on you."

"Tell you what," Rainbow spoke up, turning to face Twilight. "You need to make sure she's there, I haven't had a chance to actually get out into action yet. What'd you say to me taking a flight over the Badlands and seeing if we can find any sign that Tantabus is actually there?"

"Ooh! Can I go too?" Scootaloo asked eagerly as she landed again. Despite everything, she still had that same spark for working alongside her sister as she'd had for decades.

"Sure," Twilight told her, taking a slow breath and managing a small smile. "Two set of pegasus eyes are better than one. Just, no heroics."

"I didn't plan on it." Rainbow reassured her, flexing her wings out for a moment.

"Good. Now, it's a little late in the day to begin right now and I need to be in Canterlot first thing tomorrow. Aurora, will you be available to teleport them to the area for me?"

"Of course. We can handle the planning stage too." Aurora replied, sounding more confident. Twilight nodded and leaned back in her throne, slowly looking round at everypony.

"Okay, thanks. Everyone else, all I can ask right now is that you keep doing whatever you can to keep everypony's spirits up. Dismissed."

Author's Note

And with this chapter, Black Sun becomes the longest story I've ever written. Hopefully you're enjoying it so far.

The best part? This is roughly the halfway point.

Chapter 36 - One More Chance to Sparkle

"The key to this whole plan lies in the fact that my magic has already interacted with the Tomb of the Gods. I should have minimal trouble casting this altered version of the spell as a result. If it works as intended, and I have every confidence it will, then the tomb's magic will be channelled into my own when I cast spells, allowing me to safely dissipate the safeguards while using magic inside it. I don't know how long it would take, but I believe I can ultimately neutralise the tomb's defensive powers and let you take definitive action against it."

Twilight couldn't help but feel proud. Celestia and Luna were sat on their thrones, studying her plans for the spells she'd created for this situation. Naturally they were untested, but she'd had the experience needed to compensate. Her magic had flowed alongside that of the tomb, felt how it had crept through the walls and touched the spirits of the lekli that slumbered within. In hindsight, that probably hadn't helped with her instabilities over the past few weeks. Now she had a chance to make up for it all though. A chance that was getting better if the curious looks on the princesses' faces were any indication.

"It can also help us bring Tantabus back," She continued. "She'll be aware of my opening the tomb within minutes. Everything indicates she won't be able to pass up a chance to get inside and find her means of overcoming us. She'll have to go through me to get it though, being forced to either flee or take on an opponent stronger than her in an environment, where she can't intimidate me into holding back or letting my other side slip into control. After all her setbacks so far, I can't see her turning tail at this point."

"This is, highly intricate spellwork," Luna commented as she studied the spell that would return Tantabus to her once the opportunity presented itself. The princesses had refined the original version offered to them and Twilight had made further adjustments during her earlier brainstorming. It was likely as good as they would be able to make it now. "The means of keeping Tantabus contained while she returns would need a lot of energy to maintain. Do you think it will work?"

"If I've made the connection before she arrives, then I should have no problem. If not, I'll likely be forced to incapacitate her first. And I'd rather not hurt Sunset any more than she has been already."

"Twilight, you never cease to amaze me." Celestia said as she lowered the other scroll and smiled warmly at her former student. Her own expression was one of cautious optimism, though it was clear she badly wanted to believe it would work perfectly.

"Indeed. I knew my refusal to lose faith would be rewarded." Luna added, passing hers back to Twilight in her magic. "You may proceed with the first part of the spell."

Twilight nodded and stepped up to her throne, looking over the scroll to quintuple-check the spell before focusing her magic. The grooves of her horn glowed with her deep pink aura, rising up its length before a spark jumped from the tip and onto Luna's chest, being absorbed on contact. The night princess jumped slightly at the sensation before relaxing again and looking down at the spot it had landed.

"Settling in place...Aaand done," Twilight confirmed as she stepped back. "That's the anchor point established. Once Tantabus is without a body again, she'll have no choice but to return here."

"Then you have truly offered us hope," Celestia told her thankfully, passing her scroll back as well. "The only question that remains, when can you reach the tomb?"

"I could go right now. I just need to do one last thing though, it wont take more than a few minutes."

There was a hint of understanding in Celestia's eyes as she nodded. Twilight did her best not to give any hint of the sudden dread she felt at that. She instead made her farewells to the two of them and made her way out of the throne room, taking her time closing the doors to look back at the princesses. They both looked happier than they had for some time. The sight dampened any lingering traces of doubt in her heart and replaced it with firm resolve. She wasn't going to fail this time.

As the doors were fully closed she sighed quietly and turned to leave, only to stop in surprise. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts and sights that she hadn't even noticed the trio waiting for her. Applejack, Spike and Aurora. Spike was the only one showing any visible emotion, watching her sadly while he thought the others weren't looking. She hadn't gone into detail about her plans in front of the others, but the look on his face told her that he'd figured out her intent and he wasn't happy about it. She couldn't blame him, none of them would be if they found out. That was precisely why she hadn't been able to tell them. If they had figured at least part of it out though, she couldn't stand there and lie to their faces. The silence between the four hung for several long seconds as she walked over and stood before them, her gaze slowly going from one to the next.

"You know...Don't you?" Twilight finally asked, hesitant to hear their responses.

"Yeah, we do," Spike told her. "Me and Applejack figured it out together. Aurora got there on his own."

"And that's why we're coming with you," Aurora added, determination in his eyes. "We've come too far now to lose anypony else because we're not fully prepared."

AJ and Spike exchanged glances at those words. At a guess, they had a different idea of what was happening then he did. And Twilight had a sickening feeling that theirs was much closer to the truth. She sighed slightly and looked them over, thinking how she wanted to phrase her response.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I want you and Spike to stay here," She told him, offering her scrolls to him. "If something goes wrong, and I wouldn't be surprised after everything that's happened, I want you two to lead the others afterward."

"Right, of course. Sorry. We'll let the others know what's happening." He replied quietly as he took them, mumbling to himself about the need for reserves as he glanced over the spells.

"Well, ah'm still going to watch your back," Applejack told her, stepping forward. The grim look on her face already told that she wasn't taking no for an answer. "If yer so sure of disaster coming screaming in, you're gonna need somepony to hold it off until yer ready to kick it in the keister."

Twilight looked back at her, weighing the options in her mind. Applejack certainly would be an invaluable help where they were going, especially with her strength. At the same time though, volunteering to act as a rear guard against Tantabus was a suicide mission...Though the more she thought about it, the more she realised that was no different to usual. Standing against Tantabus when she was Nightmare Moon must have looked like a suicide mission. So would Discord, and Chrysalis' army, Tirek, Ortasin...And yet none of them had ever wavered against any of those. What was one more between friends?

"You're completely sure about this?" She asked, unable to resist smiling a little when Applejack didn't even hesitate to nod. "Alright...It will be nice to have a familiar face beside me as I walk into the end."

"Good luck, both of you..." Spike said quietly. Despite being fully ready to go, Twilight found herself moving over to the dragon and wrapping her hooves and wings around his chest. He returned the hug in kind, resting his chin on her mane as he did. The role reversal of their younger years was not lost on her.

After a long moment she let it go and moved to Aurora, giving him a hug as well. He stood confused at first but returned it as well. Once she let it go, Twilight gave them both a last look before moving over to Applejack. No more words needed to be said between the two of them. She simply moved alongside before teleporting the two of them away. In an instant the well lit hallways of the castle were replaced by cave walls, illuminated by an ethereal white glow. A look to the left showed the cave exit, nothing visible beyond due to the rock wall on the other side of the canyon. To her right, the Tree of Harmony.

In a sense, this was where it had all began. Now it was where it would end.

Twilight slowly turned toward the tree, looking it over. Aside from the empty spaces the elements themselves usually rested in, it didn't look any different to usual. That was a small mercy The last thing they needed right now was Harmony being caught up in another crisis. While Applejack checked the entrance was clear she walked up to the tree and placed a hoof against it, silently ruminating on everything the tree, the element of harmony itself, had been involved with in her life. Then her eyes wandered to its roots and saw it. The entrance to the Tomb of the Gods, laying on the ground next to the roots as if it had always been there. Soon it would be gone though, either from its safeguards kicking in or from it being destroyed entirely.

She remained in place for a full minute, steeling herself for what was to come, before turning to see Applejack coming up to her. Neither of them said a word. An understanding between them had been reached long ago. Eventually Applejack smiled and offered her hoof out. Twilight grinned and hoofbumped her without hesitation.

With that final farewell made, Twilight turned back to the tomb entrance. Celestia had taught her the spell to open the invisible barrier and she had checked and triple checked she could cast it. The spark left her horn without trouble and landed on the opening, making the barrier pulse silver before disappearing. Now there was nothing but stone steps descending into the darkness between her and her target. She started down the steps and lit her horn to see as she advanced. This time there was nothing else she had to watch out for, nopony she wanted to protect within these walls. Today, Tantabus would face an alicorn with nothing to lose.

Familiarity hastened her steps, making her way down and through the dark entryway in half the time she had with Celestia. As she stepped into the open expanse of the main entrance, idly noting that all the damage done by Ortasin had been repaired since her last visit, the familiar sensation of powerful magic washed over her. On her first visit she had been too focused elsewhere to give it much notice. Now she was more attuned to the feeling. The fur on her back stood on end and her horn became highly sensitive. Nothing else was happening though, telling her the lekli within were not alerted to her presence. Caligo was nowhere in sight either, though she still knew too little about it to know what kind of a factor it would be. Right now though, she was free to act.

Twilight moved deeper into the space, into what she assumed was the center of the room. It almost felt like an entirely different world down here. There was no sound beyond her echoing hoofsteps, no scents in the air, no movement other than the faint traces of dust in the air. It was actually kind of serene. Once she was roughly in the center she sat down and closed her eyes, putting all her focus toward the first of her brand new spells. A tendril of white magic slowly rose up her horn, curling round the grooves, before rising up and into the ceiling above her. Another snaked down from the base of her horn, curling around her neck, splitting up at her chest and wrapping around each of her legs, her hooves glowing slightly as the stream ended at them.

She could already feel her connection to the tomb regaining strength. The magic of the ancient alicorns flowed like an ocean within the walls, her own a minor current being carried in the flow. That worked in her favour though. She was beneath notice as she let her magic spread throughout the complex, letting itself move alongside each type of magic and getting a feel for what was there. Her spell could easily weave its way into each of the others, turning the whole tomb into a gigantic battery for her magic reserves. One she could steadily wear down while duelling Tantabus.

All she needed was time to spread its reach.

Silence weighed heavy in the throne room.

Celestia and Luna both knew the other wanted them to break the tension, but neither of them were sure just how to. Both of them had felt the barrier being opened, knew that Twilight was inside the tomb by now. That also meant that Tantabus would be hot on her hooves. Much as they wanted to believe Twilight had the situation completely under control, experience had taught them to never take anything for granted.

"How did you do it all these years?" Luna eventually asked, managing a small smile as she looked to her sister's throne. "Just hanging back and resisting the urge to stand alongside Twilight?"

"Patience goes a long way." Celestia replied, cracking a grin of her own. Despite feeling at her lowest both physically and mentally, Luna's latest surge of resilience was finally rubbing off on her.

"I know. I can't help but feel that we're taking it a little far this time though. At the very least, we shouldn't be sitting alone and just waiting to see what happens."

Celestia nodded as she thought about it. After Twilight had left, she had given the order that the royal court be dismissed for the day in order for them to focus on what was happening. Instead, the lack of news was just leaving them on edge. That wouldn't do anypony any favours if trouble did break out. They needed something else to do, or somepony else to talk to in the meantime. She slowly stood up and stretched her wings.

"You're right," She admitted. "At the very least, all of Twilight's friends should be here. I shall see if Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Scootaloo are well enough to join us."

"And I will bring the others here as well." Luna replied as she carefully got up.

Celestia nodded and teleported away, leaving Luna to head out of the throne room. She privately hoped everypony was still in the castle, craving some slightly more optimistic company. She had been able to overhear parts of Twilight's discussion outside the doors though, and knew Applejack had gone with her. She silently hoped the earth mare understood just what she had volunteered for. Or at the very least, that she didn't suffer too much at Tantabus' hooves...

Heading through the castle wasn't any trouble in her current state and the halls were deserted, save for the occasional guard patrol. That was something she'd missed in all this: The vibrancy of the castle, almost always finding somepony to talk to as she walked. It allowed her to move quickly in comparison though, and before long she had reached the guest wing. Everypony in Twilight's group had been staying here during their research efforts and her belief they would still be there were reinforced when she saw Aurora standing outside one of the doors.

"Your highness." He said as he saw her approach, bowing respectfully. His teeth were slightly gritted though.

"Crystal prince," Luna replied, taking the formal approach for her response. "Is everypony else here?"

"Yeah, but..." Aurora glanced back as muffled voices came from the other side of the door behind him. "Deep isn't happy that that Applejack went with Twilight and, quite honestly, Spike's probably a better case for talking him down than I am right now."

"I see...May I?"

Aurora nodded and stepped aside, turning to face the door as Luna opened it with her magic. Almost immediately she could see the unfolding argument in front of her.

"But you let her go with Twilight! What were you thinking?!" Deep Note hissed as he hovered in Spike's face. The dragon stared calmly back at him, unflinching. It was clear from his posture that he knew the anger was simply out of the pegasi's desire to look out for Applejack.

"Alright, Deep, I think that's enough" Peace Walker told him, yanking his tail to bring him back to the ground. "Applejack's gone with Twilight, remember? There isn't a pony in Equestria who she'd be safer with."

"If she was facing down one of their regular beasts maybe. Not a monster like Tantabus!" Deep countered, ears flicking in anger. An anger that quickly fizzled out as he turned and saw Luna coming in. "Oh...I err..."

"It's quite alright. Your thoughts on her are not too different from mine." She reassured him, though he still looked cowed by her appearance.

As she looked round she could see everyone was there. Spike was now leaned back against a wall, completely unfazed. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had been hanging back and waiting to see how things played out. Peace had calmed herself down and was now looking round to make sure everypony was calm. Aurora seemed to be a better mood already and had stepped forward to join the others.

Satisfied that everyone she had been looking for was present and safe, Luna allowed her mind to wander a little. She wanted to believe that Twilight and Applejack had everything in hoof by now, but she had heard mention of a plan B. It may have just been extra security, but Twilight had seemed so confident in her plans back in the throne room. Just how likely did they think it was that something would go wrong?

Applejack stared at the opening her friend had descended into, taking the few moments of calm to think about the things that mattered. Of all the ways she had expected this to end, this particular way was not one of them. It didn't matter though. She had made her peace and would keep her promise.

She straightened up and walked over to the Tree of Harmony, placing a hoof on its trunk as she stared up at it. A small part of her remembered when she had first met Twilight, how she had thought something as wondrous as this was mere fiction. Just 'a lot of hooey', as she had put it at the time. Nowadays she had every faith in its ability to watch and protect. Twilight had once told her that harmony was an element all of its own. Now, after so many millennia, maybe it was something more.

"This might sound crazy," She said quietly, only half to herself as she stared at the space where the element of magic usually sat. "But if y'all can do anything to help me out here, I'd appreciate it...Would be nice t'see Deep one more time."

Applejack took her hat off and placed it at the base of the tree. Hopefully this way at least there'd be something of her that wasn't putting itself in danger. With nothing else to do she stepped back toward the entrance, pausing about a third of the way there. Her eyes remained locked forward, every toned muscle primed for what was to come. Roughly a minute later her ears twitched at the sound of teleportation. Then Tantabus appeared at the entrance to the cave and stepped inside at a quick and determined trot. A look of cold conviction was etched onto her face, a clear warning that she would hesitate at nothing to reach her goal. A look that Applejack returned in kind.

She would give Twilight what every hero needed when they walked into the abyss. A few more seconds to spare.

"Save yer threats," She told the unicorn, digging her hooves into the dirt. "Just know that ah'm gonna make ya work for every step!"

Tantabus stared at her, raising an eyebrow in what appeared to be equal parts disbelief and fascination. She never slowed her advance regardless, her horn glowing with magical energy until it began launching sparks of dark aqua.

"So be it." She growled, before firing.